| SAUGERTIES, NY (July 18, 2007)—When the HITS horse shows return to Saugerties, New York next week, exhibitors will be treated to an Equine Art Gala and Exhibitor Mixer at New World Home Cooking Co. on Thursday, July 26, 2007, from 7 pm to 9 pm. Eleven regional artists will be featured at the by-invitation-only event that will include a broad selection of renowned chef Ric Orlando's eclectic food offerings.
Each of the eleven participating artists will display two original pieces of art on the New World walls during the Gala. In addition, each artist and their work will be featured in an event catalogue produced especially for the Gala.
The following are brief biographies of the participating artists. Further information about the Art Gala and more extensive artist biographies are available from Leslie Phillips in the HITS office at 845.246.8833 or by e-mail Leslie@HitsShows.com .
ARTIST BIOGRAPHIES
Magnus H. Agustsson
Magnus Agustsson is the son of the prominent Icelandic Artist Agust Larusson. A medical doctor by profession, he works in bronze, clay, wood, marble and other stones. His work ranges from realism to abstract expression. Dr. Agustsson has exhibited at one-man shows throughout the northeast and his work is contained in several private collections including Kroch Library at Cornell University in Ithaca. For more information, contact MagnusAgustsson@Hvc.rr.com.
Mary Bridgman
Mary Bridgman grew up in a farmhouse in Oakland, Maine and eventually made her way to New York City and the Parsons School of Design. She has worked as a women's wear designer (including being part of the Ellen Tracy design team). She began working with horses as artistic subject matter after volunteering to help the Claremont Riding Academy backstage at performances of Carmen and Aida at the Metropolitan Opera House. For more information, please visit www.MaryBridgman.com.
Susan Dorazio
Susan Dorazio has gained acclaim for her ability to capture the spirit, energy and personality of the animals she paints whether it is her paintings of racehorses thundering toward the finish line or foxhounds leading the hunt. Her work has been featured on covers of national publications such as The Chronicle of the Horse and Equine Journal and her paintings hang in galleries around the country including the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, Kentucky. For more information, please visit www.SusanDorazio.com.
Elizabeth Frankel
Elizabeth Frankel majored in communications at University of Pennsylvania and went on to produce low budget horror films in New York City. However, she soon recognized her true passions were art and horses. She puts these together by painting horses from photographs she takes at horse shows. Her work hangs in several private collections and has been shown at exhibitions in Pennsylvania and Florida. For more information, please visit www.Meant2beGallery.com.
Star Galler
Star Galler resides in Sugar Loaf, New York. She is a realistic painter whose work in oils specialize in life-size paintings, both equine and portraiture. She often works in silver- and gold-point on paper and recently has begun carving carousel horses. As a child she was obsessed with horses but could not afford to own them so, instead, she drew them. Her drawings became as real to her as animals in the flesh. For more information, please contact StarGaller@gmail.com.
Jean Haines
Jean Haines is a native of Kingston, New York and has studied, painted, photographed and sculpted horses for much of her life. Her horses have evolved into a unique linear, colorful, semi-abstractness which sometimes resembles stained glass. She has exhibited her work in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and California as well as locally in Kingston and Ulster County. Her work may be seen in her Kingston studio, Little Shop of Horses. For more information, please visit www.LittleShopofHorses.com.
Katharine L. McKenna
K.L. McKenna is a resident of Woodstock, New York and Ward, Colorado. Her paintings of landscapes utilize color harmonies of a high and unusual order. Much of her work has been inspired by childhood summers spent with her family prospecting for fossils in Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming and Montana. Her work continues to reflect her enthusiasm for and spiritual connection to the geology of the West. McKenna is president of the Arts Society of Kingston. For more information, please visit www.KLmcKenna.com.
Katherine Savage
Katherine Savage was raised in New Hampshire. As a teenager she studied at CBN Academy where her artistic career began to flower. She went on to graduate from Skidmore College and then studied at the Art Students League of New York. Her early teachers and mentors included anatomist Michael Murdon and the master of drawing Deane Keller. However her most influential mentor is the world-renowned portrait artist Nelson Shanks, with whom she continues to study. For more information, please visit www.KatherineSavage.com.
Rod Skidmore
Rod Skidmore resides in Greenville, New York and is a self-taught artist specializing in watercolor. He was an advertising art director for thirty-eight years, before specializing in equine art. Skidmore began playing polo at the age of 57 and went on to create the first of many polo paintings soon thereafter. His polo scenes capture the true essence of the sport, putting the viewer in the midst of the action. Skidmore was the official artist of the Winter Equestrian Festival in 2006 and 2007 and created the HITS-on-the-Hudson Official Art Poster in 2006. For more information, please visit www.RodSkidmoreArtist.com.
JoAnne H. Sullam
JoAnne Sullam has had a lifelong passion for and appreciation of animals and nature. After growing up in Brooklyn, New York, she went on to study at the New York School of Visual Arts. In addition to her art studies, she has studied animal behavior and husbandry, and received her wildlife rehabilitator's license. These skills gave her a deep understanding of animal anatomy and behavior, all of which have brought her artistic craft to a higher level. She has assisted Jim Fowler on the Wild Kingdom television series and has had her paintings exhibited in galleries and museums in New York, South Carolina and California. For more information, please visit www.DayDreamsInNature.com.
Kristen Vetterl
Kristen Vetterl was born in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. At a young age she showed both artistic talent and an obsession for horses. A graduate of University of Rhode Island, her artwork captures horses both in oil paintings and black and white lithographs. She is an accomplished rider of more than seventeen years and currently works as a freelance graphic artist. Her work has received honorary awards from the University of Rhode Island and the Boston Printmakers Association. For more information, please visit www.KristenVetterl.com.
Show jumping at HITS Saugerties resumes on July 25 for three weeks of world-class show jumping. The "Are you a Champion?" equestrian series returns for an encore to close the third and final week of the summer series of shows on August 8-12. Participants will have an opportunity to strut their stuff in the HITS Grand Prix amphitheater, the largest ring on the property. The summer series concludes with one final week of show jumping beginning on September 5, followed by the Marshall & Sterling League Finals, September 13-16 when acclaimed singer/songwriter Suzanne Vega will be performing for the Essex Classics Year-End High Point Awards Celebration. The event will include a special, by-invitation-only dinner catered by Manhattan's famous Tavern on the Green, the nation's top-grossing restaurant.
HITS, Inc. is a special events management company primarily focused on producing hunter-jumper horse shows. Based in upstate New York in the village of Saugerties, HITS produced its first horse show circuit in Gainesville, Florida in 1982. Since that time, HITS has grown into a nationwide company with world-class hunter/jumper circuits in California, Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia.
For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com
Media should contact Chris Mayone at 845.246.8833 or e-mail Media_Info@HitsShows.com
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