88 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
e
Art
By Alexa Cheater
Linda Luster has devoted her life to combining her two greatest
passions – horses and painting. A talented artist and avid eques-
trian, her love of horses is evident in the emotional depth of her
paintings, which capture the spirit of each subject.
Born with a true gift, Linda, of Rocky Ridge, Maryland, spent
much of her youth learning her craft from renowned artist Jack
Clifton, and eventually went on to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in
painting and printmaking from the University of North Carolina and
a degree in commercial photography from Cape Fear Technical
Institute.
She later worked for the North Carolina Department of Cultural
Resources in the archaeology and historic preservation branch
as a photographer and the North Carolina Museum of History as
an exhibit designer. Her career in equestrian art had its early be-
ginnings during that time, but was soon put on hold when Linda
decided to take an extended hiatus from her painting to focus on
her other passion – riding.
Growing up in a military family, Linda started taking riding les-
sons on army bases at a young age and competed successfully in
hunters and eventing before developing a love of dressage.
During her break from painting, she pursued a career as a dres-
sage trainer. She worked for Willowlake Farms in Mount Airy,
Maryland before opening her own facility, Good Will Farm, in
Rocky Ridge, Maryland. She earned her silver medal from the
USDF and has trained both horses and riders to the FEI level.
Painting the Spirit of the Horse
Sixteen years after putting down her paintbrush, Linda and her
husband, Doug, restored an old home and built a barn, as well
as a studio, where she rekindled her love of art and struck a bal-
ance between her two passions. She spent seven years devoting
her time to both dressage and painting before retiring from riding.
Linda now paints full-time, focusing on commissioned portraits
and gallery pieces at her studio in Maryland.
“I’ve always been an artist and I’ve always loved horses, so it
was a natural fit,” she explained. “Returning to painting was part of
my metamorphosis and allowed me a way to stay with the horses
while moving away from having them as my career.”
Her artwork can be seen at horse shows across the Eastern
United States and has repeatedly graced the cover of the
Chron-
icle of the Horse
. It has also appeared as part of the promotional
materials for a number of prominent horse shows. This year, she
did the cover artwork for the Vermont Summer Festival souvenir
program. Her beautiful rendering of a horse and rider overlooking
the Vermont Summer Festival’s show grounds in East Dorset
evokes a fairy tale setting that has attracted rave reviews.
“I just fell in love with the show grounds,” said Linda, of her
inspiration for the piece. “The way it’s set down in the valley, with
the trees and landscaping; it’s beautiful. It’s like this secret little
place that people go to and they can’t help but fall in love with it.
That’s the feeling I tried to capture in the painting.”
Linda’s detailed painting is easily recognizable to the thousands
of competitors who enjoy those breathtaking mountain views
firsthand during the course of the competition, which celebrated
a historic 20 years in the Manchester, Vermont region in 2013.
For more information on Linda’s paintings, please visit www.
lindalusterstudio.com.
About the writer: Alexa Cheater is an avid horse lover who spends an inordinate
amount of time at the barn for someone who doesn’t own a horse. When she’s not
enjoying the company of her favorite four-legged friends, she’s writing about them
as Communications Specialist for Starting Gate Communications, Inc., a full-service
public relations agency specializing in equestrian sport.
Linda Luster’s beautiful depiction of the Vermont Summer Fes-
tival in East Dorset, Vermont graced the cover of the competi-
tion’s official 2013 souvenir program as well as the annual show
poster.
Equestrian artist Linda Luster.
