PENDLETON — Her work definitely isn’t Wimpy. It’s better than Poco Bueno. One might even describe it as Impressive.
Dorinda Cassiday, a resident of Adams Township, will be represented in the upcoming America’s Horse in Art Show, sponsored by American Quarter Horse Association Hall of Fame and Museum in Amarillo, Texas.
“I’m just overwhelmed that they accepted me,” said Cassiday, who owns two horses. One of them is a 28-year-old American Quarter Horse named Chip, likely not related to the legendary AQH stallions mentioned at the top of the story.
Story continues below the photo.
The annual show opens with an artist reception Aug. 14 and runs through Oct. 16 at the museum, which according to its website “is dedicated to educating and sharing the love of the American Quarter Horse.”
America’s Horse in Art show features artists selected based on a scoring system, said Museum Coordinator Petra Medina.
A committee judges entries on a variety of criteria, especially the accuracy of the conformation, or the shape and structure, of the depiction, Medina said.
This year’s show includes artists from across the United States as well as Canada, Mexico and Greece, she said.
Cassiday, a retired Madison County school teacher and member of Art Association of Madison County and Pendleton Artists Society, submitted a portfolio of work and credentials last year and was informed recently of her acceptance.
She said she didn’t think she would make the cut because when she visited the museum about 12 years ago she thought the caliber of work far exceeded her abilities.
But with the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she had the time to spend on an application she considered a long shot.
“I was laughing all the way to the post office (to mail my entry) thinking, ‘This is a waste of money,’” Cassiday said.
Her acceptance shouldn’t have come as a complete surprise, though. Cassiday is a four-year member of American Academy of Equine Artists, and one of her paintings was used as the publicity image by the now-defunct Indiana Horse Council during its Hoosier Horse Fair and Expo in 2019, the last year for the then-decades-old organization.
Cassiday has a studio in her home, where she also paints commissioned oil paintings of horses and pets. She is currently working on the first of three works that will be part of the Texas show.
Proceeds from the sale of artwork at the show go to the Hall of Fame to support its efforts to preserve the history of the American Quarter Horse.
To read more about Cassiday, look for a Q&A feature in the next edition of Primetime, a special section set for The Times-Post on April 22.