For more than 25 years, Suanne Wamsley has loved horses and enjoyed great success painting the magnificent animals. Since childhood, her love of art and a natural attraction to horses have melded into an extraordinary talent. Working in colored pencil, Wamsley captures every detail of her subjects and brings to life the qualities that make horses some of the most beloved animals on earth.

During her career, the artist has specialized in racing and show horse art; she has been commissioned by owners throughout the country to create portraits of their horses. Wamsley is known as one of today’s best equine artists.

When Wamsley was six, her family moved to a rural area of Wisconsin. In this setting, the young artist began drawing – always horses. Wamsley also enjoyed watching her grandfather, a Swedish landscape artist, paint, and he was an important influence on her desire to draw. “We had a real bond through art,” says Wamsley. “He thought it was great that I wanted to draw horses. It was very different from what he did, but he respected it.”

Wamsley took riding lessons as a child and continues to ride today. In her early teens, she saved enough money to buy her first horse. At that point, the budding artist “traded up” her horses each year. She helped fund her purchases by drawing pictures of her friends’ horses. “Throughout my teenage years, I would do portraits for $25 each. Those were the first drawings I sold.”

Trained as a graphic artist, Wamsley worked various jobs for several years and continued to sell her drawings. In the late 70s, she made a life-changing decision to become a full-time artist. The love of her subjects led her to decide to sell at horse shows. Wamsley was accepted to the 1979 World Championship Quarter Horse Show’s trade show and attended nine of their events that year. The artist enjoyed tremendous success and became well known for her racing and show art.

Wamsley’s career drew her to move to Kentucky, Oklahoma, and eventually New Mexico. During this time, she was commissioned to paint the winner of the 1982 California Derby, which honor she retained for many years. In Ruidoso, she sells her drawings at a local gallery and continues to create her remarkable art. In addition to her work for horse shows, Wamsley obtains many commissions for portraits.

The artist’s passion for her subjects is clear. “They are simply beautiful creatures,” says Wamsley. I’m fortunate that I make my living drawing them. There’s nothing that compares to a nice drawing filled with horses.”