Janene Grende was born with a love for horses. Her mother grew up on a ranch in Montana and her father’s parents logged with horses. She drew and painted equine subjects as a child.
“I wanted a horse more than anything when I was young. I had to be happy with being around the neighbors horses. I drew horses everywhere on all my school papers. Any piece of paper was fair game. I didn't actually get horses until I was in my 30's,” recalls Grende. It was then that I realized I didn't know much about them and began a quest to educate myself. I've been to many clinics with all types of horsemanship. I've even organized and taught horsemanship clinics.”
Grende teaches equitation to youth and adults in the pony club and has hosted many horse events at her home in north Idaho. She feels that teaching riding lessons has given her a better eye for creating and teaching equine related paintings. She also teaches drawing and painting in several mediums and subject matters
Janene was born and raised in Lewiston, Idaho; she moved north to the Sandpoint area in 1974. She has painted for over 30 years, recently becoming a bit of a chameleon -painting in gouache, in a very realistic style. (Gouache is a medium of watercolor type pigments that are more opaque.) She also paints in French silk dye on Chinese silk to create bright exciting paintings.
"I like the idea of bringing a smile to the viewer, the silk paintings do that!" Grende explains. In the summer when she can paint outside, she uses oil and a more impressionistic style, creating landscapes and abstract paintings.
She has completed several paintings for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation., twice being chosen the artist of the quarter. She was also selected as the Ducks Unlimited Artist of the Year for Idaho, the first woman to win this honor and the first person to win it twice. She was the Washington State Sponsor print artist.
Grende regularly attends the Fall Festival Show in Lake City, Minn. at Wild Wings headquarters, who publishes and licenses her work. Janene has shown many paintings in their originals catalog and sold work through their Wild Wings Galleries nationwide.
She was invited to show original horse-inspired paintings with the American Academy of Equine Artists in 2002, 2003 and 2004 at the Kentucky Horse Park. In January 2005, she showed at the Wildlife Experience in Parker CO at the AAEA Horse in Art traveling exhibit. This event was instrumental in the AAEA asking Janene to become a member.
“I have many goals in my art. I want to create art that helps give back to organizations like cancer research. I'm looking for some sponsors right now to help fund a series of paintings for skin cancer research,” Grende says. “I am never at a loss for inspiration for paintings; the only thing I lack is enough time to paint everything I think of. The silk paintings I create are so much fun. The paint is mixed on the silk, there is very little control over how the finished colors blend. As an artist, it releases the creative side like a beautiful dance. I try to schedule my time in the studio so I can do something with my horses every day even if it is just brushing them. Running your hands over the horse really gives you a feel for how they are put together. I've seen other artists painting horses with little actual knowledge of the real horse and it show in their work. I feel very fortunate to live with four horses that all have different body types – it helps keep my artist’s eye fresh.”
Grende is proud of her intimate connection with her four-legged family.
“The oldest (horse) is a 27-year-old Appaloosa that was my mother’s horse, Redsky. He has evented and done everything you can imagine in Pony Club. No one ever failed a rating riding Redsky. Five generations of our family have ridden him and four generations have shown him,” Grende says. “A 25-year-old paint mare, Puddin – that is just the greatest horse. She was my oldest daughter’s horse in 4H and now she hauls around the grandkids – with supervision because she's still a spunky little gal. My horse is a quarter horse, Dobbs, who is a revved-up fellow. He is sensitive but lazy which makes for an interesting combination. I've had to really solve some puzzles with him. He sometimes works harder at getting out of work than just doing the job. Our other horse is Jazz he is a 17 hand thoroughbred; he loves his dressage life. He has also evented.”
For more information, visit Grende’s website at www.janenegrende.com.
Copyright © 2008 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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