Linda Briesacher
Robertsville, MO
A portion of the proceeds from every painting sold will be donated to the equine charity of the buyer's choice.
MessageBorn in Victorville, CA, Briesacher grew up in St. Louis, MO. Her greatest joys as a child were the animals. “My mother loved animals and we had a lot of them -- dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds, fish, and of course, the horses. I started riding when I was 7 and it was on the back of a horse that I found freedom, strength, and joy. We did a lot of trail riding as I grew up, so my love of horses became entwined with my love of nature and the outdoors. This has never changed and is the primary inspiration for my paintings.” More than 30 years ago, she and her husband built their home about 50 miles from St. Louis. They live on 80 wooded acres. In the summer their view is lush and green, and in the winter, they can see for miles from their hilltop home. Her studio is in their home and looks out onto this view. In addition to painting, Briesacher is an avid gardener and has spent years designing and tending to her garden landscape.
Her first career was in educational technology focused on the introduction and implementation of online learning at colleges and universities. It did not include painting, but did include a lot of travel. Briesacher has been to all fifty states, most of the Canadian provinces, and several European countries. She also enjoys traveling for leisure with her family and friends. “Gallery hopping” became a highlight of many of those trips, and through the years, she and her husband have built an extensive art collection. She didn’t know that art collecting would become the forerunner of art creation.
Briesacher embarked on her “second career” in 2014 at the age of sixty. She sometimes muses about what her life might have been had she started painting at an earlier age, but believes things happen when they are supposed to. “Retirement gave me the time to do the things I wanted to do, and it was important to me to stay engaged and active. I’ve always had a creative side, though my prior creative outlets tended more to home interior and landscape design. I wasn’t sure if I would do well at painting, but when I laid down that first brush stroke, I actually got tears in my eyes, it just felt so right.” Painting became her new full-time job, her passion, her obsession.
In 2018 Briesacher came across a photo of the iconic Sand Wash Basin stallion, Picasso. In Picasso she saw something that moved her. “There was so much wisdom in his eyes. He touched me. He was nearly 30 years old and must have endured so much in his long life. It showed in his eyes, and I fell in love. I wanted to learn more about him and the more I learned about him and the plight of our wild horses, the more I wanted to help.”
She began painting the wild horses, and donating the sales proceeds to support and protect them. “Things just took off. My Facebook page garnered about 2,000 followers and sales became steady. Though I have visited the Sand Wash Basin and the wild horses, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the photographers who gave me their kind permission to use their photos as references. Without them, many of those paintings wouldn’t have happened. Using the sale proceeds from my work to support and protect horses is a win/win. I get to do something I love and give back at the same time. And it makes my collectors happy to know they are supporting worthy causes.” To date, Briesacher has donated $20,000 to support and protect both wild and rescued horses.
Briesacher is a Juried Member of the American Academy of Equine Art and her equine work has been juried into several of their national exhibitions. She is a Signature Member of Southwest Artists, Inc. with her work juried into several of their national exhibitions. She has been featured in articles in “The Art of the Horse” and the “Ladue News - Art and Soul.” In addition, her human portraits have been juried into such prestigious exhibitions as the Bosque Art Classic. “Having my human portraits accepted into exhibitions has been thrilling for me. I strive to convey the character and emotion of every face I paint, whether it be equine or human.” She studied directly with Matt Smith, Bob Bertram, and Vic Mastis, and through remote learning, the techniques of Greg Beecham, Andrew Tischler, Joshua LaRock, and Tina Garrett.
Collectors of Briesacher’s work have this to say: “Everyone that has come to my home has noticed these beautiful paintings and have remarked on the detail and the overall talent shown in each painting. My favorite detail of her work is in the faces, whether it is human or animal.” “The horses are so lifelike you can almost hear them squealing and their hooves pounding the ground as they run.” A fellow artist had this to say about her work: “There is something about the way she applies paint…the way she pushes her colors and values, and the stories she tells through her artwork. It does, and will continue to, get noticed.”
Briesacher reflects: “My work evolves as I continue to grow as an artist. I am finding new ways to express myself through light, color, and brushwork. But I will never be completely satisfied with where I am as an artist. I will always be driven by my need to understand “how he or she did that. Learning has been the central focus of my professional life. My love of learning is completely wrapped up in my love of painting; and I can’t think of anything more fulfilling in this second career.”
Exhibitions & Awards
2024 Southwest Artists, Inc. Small Works Exhibition, Mena Art Gallery, Mena, AR
2023 Award of Excellence - Southwest Artists, Inc., Mena Art Gallery, Mena, AR
2023 American Academy of Equine Art Juried Exhibition, Fine Art Editions, Georgetown, KY
2023 Art of the Heartland National Juried Exhibition - Southwest Artists, Inc. - Mena Art Gallery, Mena, AR
2023 Cheyenne Frontier Days - Old West Museum - New Frontiers Art Show, Cheyenne, WY
2023 Heartland Art Club Group of Eight Exhibition, 5 pieces, Kirkwood, MO
2023 Heartland Art Club Member's Showcase, Kirkwood, MO
2023 Southwest Artists Small Works National Exhibition, 3 pieces, Mena, AR
2022 61st Mid-States Art Exhibition, Evansville, IN
2022 Heartland Art Club Member's Exhibition, St. Louis, MO
2022 Southwest Artists / Mena Art Gallery Art of the Heartland Show
2022 American Academy of Equine Art Fall Juried Show, Aiken, SC
2022 Bosque Art Classic, Clifton, TX
2022 Missouri Valley Impressionist Society Membership Show, Online
2021 Heartland Art Club Member's Exhibit, St. Louis, MO
2021 American Academy of Equine Art April Fools Show, Online
2020 American Academy of Equine Art Juried Exhibition, Aiken, SC
2020 The Art of the Horse Exhibition, Winter Equestrian Festival, Wellington, FL
2019 Heartland Art Club Member's Exhibit, St. Louis, MO
2018 National Oil and Acrylics Painters Society Fall Online International Exhibition
2018 American Academy of Equine Art Spring Showcase, Online
2016 Green Door Art Gallery, St. Louis, MO
2016 Randy Higbee Gallery, Costa Mesa, CA
2015 AKC Museum of the Dog, St. Louis, MO
2015 Green Door Art Gallery, St. Louis, MO
Memberships
Juried Member, American Academy of Equine Art
Heartland Art Club
Signature Member, Southwest Artists, Inc.
Galleries
The Galleries at Heartland Art Club
101A West Argonne Drive
Kirkwood, Missouri 63122
Mena Art Gallery
607 Mena Street
Mena, AR 71953
Statement
I am a storyteller. My subjects really choose me. Whether it’s the peacefulness of a mare nursing a foal, the fierceness of a stallion protecting his family, or the gleam in someone’s eye, there was just something about that moment in time that captured my imagination and made me want to paint it. There is a story there that I want to tell. And that is what I strive to do - tell that story in paint. I have been told by my collectors that the faces I paint are what they love best about my paintings. It doesn’t matter whether they are the faces of horses or people, they love the character and detail that makes them come to life.
I am a “studio” artist, meaning I don’t generally paint on site. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t go onsite to capture my images. I travel to the places I need to visit in order to gather the references I need to create my paintings. When I travel, I take thousands of photos and some of those photos, after editing, become the subjects of my paintings. I enjoy painting in detail and pushing colors and values to make my subjects come alive. When the viewer tells me what draws them to one of my paintings, and it is the same thing that made me want to paint it in the first place, then I know I have told the story well.