Horse Photographer Interview – Karen Slagle

Name
Karen Slagle

Website & places you can find my work online
Website: www.redbubble.com/people/riata66
Better Photo: Karen Slagle
Another Interview online
A slideshow with music

Where I Live
I live in the Texas panhandle, close to Amarillo, with my husband
Mike, 5 cats and 3 Arabian horses. I’m a native Texan, born in Fort Worth. My Mother’s family came to Texas in 1823 before it was a republic.

My granddaddy and my great uncles were all cowboys on the 6666 Ranch in King County, Texas. I reckon at least some of my passion for horses came through my family and our frontier roots.

What kind of camera do you use?
I use a Nikon D70, D200 and D300. I also have a plethora of Nikon lenses of all kinds from 18mm to 80-400mm.

Who are your main influences?
As far as equine photography my two main influences are Tony Stromberg at and Wojtok Kwiatkowski.

The artist that inspires me the most is Doug West. His style of painting speaks to my heart as he paints the American Southwest with it’s stunning vistas and huge skies with billowing clouds.

Why do you photograph horses?
My passion for horses just goes hand in hand with photography as I love to capture them at rest and at play. Also I love the small details such as their eyes, ears and manes and tails flying in the wind.

What is your favorite breed to photograph?
I have always loved Arabians with their beautiful carved profiles, flying tails and their spirit. To me, they are the prettiest. But I love all horses and photograph all breeds.

Who are your animal muses?
All horses are my muses as I have watched, admired and observed them my whole life.

One of my first words was “horse” and they seem to call to me. My closest muses are my 3 Arabians that live with us at our country home.

What effect do you think the internet will have on art and photography in general?
The internet is a great place to post our art and hope others will come and look, and hopefully to buy. It’s also a place that makes it easier to have our work stolen. All in all it’s good but we do need to be careful.

Has it had an effect on yours?
It’s made it readily available for people in other areas of the country to look at my art. I also love looking at other’s art and the internet makes it easy without driving all over the country.

What is your favorite image?
This is a hard question as I love all my images. One of my favorites is “Falling Star”, because it has a Doug West feel, the large star filled sky and a falling star over the mesa.

It also has the bluffs and mesas of the southwest with it’s earth tone colors. Also it contains a silhouette of my trail riding buddy, LSA Blue Moon, my black Arabian mare.

What else are you passionate about?
I LOVE cats. We have 5 house cats that run the place. Nothing is too good for the “kids”. Attached is one of my favorite image of Tabby with the sun shining through her hair while she laid in front of the door. I snapped the shutter as she raised her head to see what I was doing. She holds a very special place in our hearts.

More to Come

Thanks to Karen for answering the interview and sharing her art. Be sure to check out her photography website periodically for updates about her latest works.

Also stay tuned for more interviews with horse artists and photographers.
Are you a horse artist or do you know an equine artist you’d like to see featured? Add your name and website in the comments below or drop me a note to get involved.