2009 Artist Ride

Another year, another Artist Ride...and this year was one of the best. Every year, this invitational only event takes place in South Dakota. Artists come from all over the country to photograph at the Shearer Ranch. Native American models, cowboys, civil war recreationists, mountain man recreationists...you name it, are made available to us. I call it eye candy and I take on average 7 to 10 thousand photos over the course of four days. This is just a sampling of what I took...This is Chelsea, the Shearer's youngest daughter. She turned 17 this weekend and is probably the best rider I have ever seen.

This little foal was born on Friday night. The funny thing about his birth was that no one knew the mare was pregnant!!! Talk about a surprise...

My favorite little Lakota model.

Another great weekend and a lifetime of paintings just waiting to be done.

Many thanks to Jim Hatzell and the Shearers for making this once in a lifetime event possible. Be sure to check out www.artistride.com to see a sampling of some of the very special artists and models included in this amazing weekend.