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Living on a farm in rural Western New York, artist and photographer
Betsy LaMere finds inspiration in her surroundings, sharing with the
viewer an intimate portrait of an otherwise private place. As a self-
taught artist, she has developed a unique and very distinctive style. Her
appreciation for her equine subjects and the art form of pen and ink
drawing reflects in her work, revealing a close relationship with and a
deep sensitivity of the individual. This appreciation is also apparent in
her photography. Although she considers herself primarily an equine
artist, Betsy’s photographic images express not only her love of
horses, but of all animals and nature; capturing the detail, emotion and
personality of her subjects, inviting us to discover the wonder of our
own backyards.

Growing up in a suburb of Rochester, New York, LaMere was not
raised with horses, yet yearned to be. Stories of enduring friendships
between horses and the people who loved them inspired her
imagination. At age nine, a visit with a friend to the barn where their
family kept two horses was the first real encounter she had had, and
the smell that lingered in the pair of mittens she wore that day
comforted a longing deep within. When her desires to ride went
unanswered by her parents, she worked and saved her money,
eventually took riding lessons and bought her first horse, a little
quarter/thoroughbred yearling she named Mi Choyce, at age sixteen.

While working as a groom for a local hunter/jumper stable, Betsy found
that although she had aspirations of riding, she liked being on the
backside more. She like the quiet of caring for the horses she worked
with, and studied with a developing artist’s eye the other aspects of the
horse world around her. She began creating works of art that reflected
her day to day experiences, turning her desire to draw into a full-time
commitment of portraying the animals she endears with such a
passion.

Betsy’s passion for photography began at an early age when given a
small camera, recording with it her unique view of the world around
her; though it would be many years later before she thought of herself
as a serious photographer. In sharp contrast to the pen and ink
drawings Betsy pours over laboriously for months at a time, the
instantaneously captured image through her lense is a gratifying yet
equally challenging medium to express her artistic vision.

Of her work Betsy says, “I never really chose to pursue art, it instead
chose me. I have worked at other things, but it is always my art that I
come back to. Early on, I believe I tried to push it away, because it was
not something I was encouraged to pursue. I have come to recognize
that being and artist is who I am - not just something I do – and being
able to share my love of horses and life with others in this way is
something I am deeply appreciative of.”

Betsy currently works out of her studio at home where she resides with
her four children, husband Michael, dog Faith, fifteen cats, eleven
ducks, and three horses: Lateralus, a five year old
percheron/thoroughbred stallion; Chief, a twenty-four year old belgian
gelding; and Mi Choyce, her beloved best friend who is now twenty-five
years old and still her greatest inspiration.