Artist Weatherly Stroh Fuses Her Love Of Horses With Her Passion For Painting
Equestrian Artist
BY JULIE BACON
One glance at Weatherly Stroh and it’s easy to see she has the look of a lifelong equestrian. Yet her successful hunterjumper career is only the beginning of Stroh’s story as a prolific artist based in Wellington. Born and raised in Michigan, Stroh grew up on a farm, riding competitively and traveling the country to become nationally ranked in the hunters. Her family tree is dotted with several well-known artists and sculptors, but Stroh only dabbled in art until about 10 years ago when she made it her sole career. “You don’t think of horses opening doors, but they really did for me,” Stroh said. Stroh studied art but hadn’t thought of making it a career until she joined it with her love of horses. “Even when I was teaching elementary students, horses were always present, and my art kept pulling at me. I suppose looking back, it’s obvious that I would return to art, but in my 20s, I had no idea,” Stroh recalled. When she came back to her art in earnest, Stroh focused on her lifelong companions, hunter-jumpers in the sport she knew so well. Stroh’s paintings of horses reflect her deep understanding from a perspective few artists possess — that as a partner and teammate. Stroh leveraged her relationships to build an impressive portfolio of commissions, which have included some well-known names. With a foot in the door and experience under her belt, Stroh broadened her work to include more modern depictions, landscapes and other animals. “For me, art is about pushing myself,” she said.“I am always trying to grow as
Weatherly in front of her paintings on display at the recent Longines FEI World Cup at Deeridge Farm.
an artist, to improve, to try new subjects and new techniques.” One constant in life is nature. From growing up in the country to traveling for horses and now traveling for personal enjoyment, nature refuels her. “I have to be outside,” Stroh said.“Hiking in the mountains, riding horses, playing tennis,
walking on the beach and interacting with animals are all must-haves for me.” Stroh’s work clearly reflects her love of the natural world. Her paintings range from the mountains of Colorado to the fields of her Michigan home to the hills of Tuscany where she spent six weeks last summer.“I went to Italy to fall in love wellington the magazine | march 2020
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