Biography
“I try
to capture the soul of each animal I draw or paint. Each one is
different, each has its own story. A drawing can emphasize important
aspects of the look of an animal in ways a photo cannot. An accurate,
sensitive representation of a subject in an interesting composition is my
goal.”
Horses and dogs have been
a part of my life since childhood and have always
been subject matter for my
artwork. Life with animals is an important part of human existence and
I feel it is my job to document these beautiful creatures. I have been
fortunate to have met thousands of horses and dogs as well as their owners
who have given me the opportunity to create this body of work.
I received my art
training first at home, with my father and grandmother. From there, I
attended Skidmore College and earned a BS in Fine Art, and the University of
Massachusetts, in Amherst, where I earned a MFA degree in printmaking.
After graduate school, my landscape woodcut prints were exhibited in
galleries in New York, Boston and Chicago, and are now in many private and
corporate collections. My commissioned portrait life also started
after graduate school when I attended horse shows and dog shows exhibiting
my portraits. Since that time, I have completed thousands of portraits
and my work continues to this day.
In 1990, my husband,
Richard B. Urban, VMD, and I created Fursure Enterprises, a company which
features a line of greeting cards depicting the humorous side of life with
horses. The cards were sold in tack and saddlery shops in the US, UK
and Australia and can still be found in many of them. The line is
composed of approximately 250 designs of humor, Christmas, horse and dog
portraits, wrapping paper, notepads and a calendar.
Presently, in addition to
my portrait work, I am developing a series of paintings and drawings of
farms in the northeast.
Companies
Fursure Enterprises, Inc. - a greeting card company
featuring the humorous side of life with horses, distribution in US, UK and
Australia.1990 to present.
Gallery Representation
The Gallery and Gallery at Four India, Nantucket, MAIsherwood Gallery, Newport, RI
Handwright Gallery, New Canaan, CT
Education
1981 Graduate Fellowship , Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, Stockholm, Sweden
1981 Master of Fine Art in Printmaking, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
1979 Bachelor of Science in Fine Art, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs NY
1979 Periclean Honor Society, Skidmore College
1979 Pamela Weideman Memorial Prize, Skidmore College, for outstanding achievement in
lithography and/or printmaking.
