As a child, I was blessed with parents who taught me the importance and magnificence of the beauty around me...... the beauty and hope of a sunrise.....the beauty and calm of a quiet sea..... the beauty, power and grace of a horse (which I consider one of God's masterpieces!).... and the beauty and joy of a baby's smile. My favorite "toys" were a Schwinn bicycle, that I imagined to be a horse (appropriately named Beauty)..... and a Kodak Brownie camera.
I studied Art Education after high school, but followed in my father's footsteps as a riding instructor and horse trainer. The late 70's and early 80's brought many changes to the horse industry and I pulled away for awhile but found I couldn't stay away long. Soon I was back in the show ring. This time with a camera, instead of a horse! I did farm shoots as well, and started traveling throughout the Midwest. After a few years, this took it's toll on my young family and as my Dad put it..."Kathy, it's time to settle down and get a real job" ......so I did....for awhile....and then I purchased a horse farm that I had managed and trained with 20 years earlier.
During the next several years, Deja Vu Farm produced some of the finest Arabian horses in the Midwest. In 2007, my dreams were temporarily put on hold when Deja Vu Farm was sold......and now I find myself looking for beauty again..... and finding it......through the lens of my camera!
Kathy Schlagel
August 1, 2011