About the Artist - Betsy Tamblyn

Betsy started riding horses on her own at 2 1/2 years old. She has been enamoured with horses ever since.

By the time she was 7, she had her own horse.

When she was age 15 and her parents required her to help pay for the horse, she started earning the money by drawing portraits of the horses of other owners.

Alas, her plan to become an artist with a focus on horses and other western themes fell by the wayside like the plans of many people - life got in the way.

Fast forward many years and Betsy finds herself in a position to choose what she wants to be when she grows up. While a very talented artist on her own without any training, she wanted to be better than 'very good'.

In 2007, Betsy enroles at her local Jr. College in their art program. One semester later they tell her they can't help her get any better and that she should enrole in an art school that can take her art to another level.

So, in 2008, she enroles in The Atelier School of Classical Realism. This school is devoted to what might be described as "photographic art". So detailed, it is hard to tell it from the real thing.

The school, in Oakland, is about an hour and a half drive each way from her home in Napa. Over the course of the next four years she will attend 5 or 6 days a week. Usually leaving home at 6a and returning at about 7pm or even 10pm if she has added a night class. She is devoted to learning all the Classical techniques.

By 2011, she has finished her course study. She sees she will always be learning and plans more classes in the future.

But for now, it is time to live her dream as an Artist of the American West.