Growing up on a 7,000-acre cattle ranch on the plains of New Mexico, Kathryn Schaapveld comes naturally to her love of animals. Artistically inclined throughout her life, Kathryn was first inspired by the style and subject matter of Peter Hurd. She dreamed of becoming a full-time painter, emulating the skillfulness and genuineness of this legendary painter’s work, but focusing on animals and developing a style of her own.
The success Kathryn enjoys today did not happen overnight, as she devoted major time, effort, and love to other passions including her family, her faith, a career showing horses, and a parallel career raising show dogs, all the while studying with Bob McCoy in Houston, Kay Orr and Dick Goetz, of Oklahoma City. She gratefully acknowledges the mentorship of Orren Mixer, of Edmond, OK, and credits these artist-mentors with helping increase her technical and conceptual skills, expanding her artistic vocabulary, and most importantly, encouraging her perseverance in attaining her lifelong artistic aspirations.
Over time, she has delighted collectors with her realistic take on Impressionism, her dominant style. Showing horses in World Show Competitions including wins in Reserve World Champion Working Cow Horse and World Champion Limited Open Cow Horse, and many years of world-level competing in English Riding and Pleasure Driving, Kathryn has ample opportunity for finding the best subjects and also attracting new clientele.
More recently, Schaapveld has attracted a whole new category of admirers with her more daring, more exuberantly colorful interpretations of wild animals from around the world. Like the fauves, Schaapveld uses arbitrary color to capture the wild spirit, the playfulness, and the sheer wonder of the magnificent creatures she paints. Designers delight in the exquisite color schemes; animal lovers delight in the way Kathryn hones in on the essence of the animals, interpreting them faithfully, but with brilliant originality.
Now in her third year of painting full-time, Kathryn enjoys strong demand for her artwork, both among patrons who make multiple purchases and among new clients, many referred by other enthusiastic Schaapveld collectors. One art connoisseur in Houston has acquired more than 100 of Schaapveld’s paintings, spanning her entire art career.
Working from her studio/gallery in Edmond Oklahoma , Kathryn has had exhibitions in three galleries in Texas and Oklahoma, and is currently being featured at Bernardo’s in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. She invites visitors to her studio and delights in taking commissions to paint specific horses, riders, and other subjects of particular interest to a client. Schaapveld’s love of art is exceeded only by her love of the Lord. She sees her paintings as expressions of love and gratitude for the wonder and beauty of all creation.
Kathryn's studio/gallery is conveniently located in Edmond, Oklahoma. Call or email for directions to a wonderful experience in art with beauty, substance, and personal meaning.