2026 is off to fantastic start! I had to roll several commissions into this month, but all have arrived safely at their homes now and the customers are happy. I truly appreciate it when I’m given a little wiggle room to make sure a piece is perfect.
Finished Commissions:
Two Traditional-scale portrait models and one medallion rounded out my commissions from 2025 that bled over.
Finished Customs
A few months ago, when I decided I was going to attend Breyer Midwest in Topeka, Kansas, January 23-25, I realized I didn’t have many customs to show at the Open Show. I decided I’d better get painting!
I had 13 customs on my ideas list, and managed to finish 8! Not bad at all for only a few months of work while also finishing commissions.
Finished pieces included these 6 custom Breyer Stablemates:
And 2 Custom Breyer Traditionals:
Breyer Midwest Recap
I came into the Breyer Midwest Open Show with low expectations - maybe a few ribbons on my customs, get judges feedback, just see what happens. These bigger shows are highly competitive.
Much to my surprise, I not only ended up with ribbons on most of my customs, I got a Champion in the Custom Draft Breed Section! The judges were also wonderful about providing feedback on my pieces. I came away reeling from a win, but also incredibly motivated to keep painting, sculpting and growing my skills!
The Real Win
What made the moment of winning the Custom Draft Breed Champion even more special was that my traveling buddy and fellow artist Eleanor (Fire Starter Studios) won the Custom Draft Workmanship Champion at the same time with a piece she painted. We got to share the win moment ^_^
As competitive as I am, I’m enjoying showing more and more motivated by spending time with my hobby friends, learning new art techniques and just seeing all the pretty horse models on the table. This hobby is insane, there’s so much depth to what you can learn and what you can do as an artist.
What a great way to kick off 2026!