And the winners are...

Our first giveaway was a smashing success and we already have several artists lined up for March and April's giveaways! Thank you so much to everyone who left a comment.

So this morning I wrote down all 50+ names and put them in my daughter's little riding helmet. She loves it when I have a giveaway because she gets to pick the names.

The first name she pulled from the hat, and the winner of Linda's gorgeous prize, belonged to Solitaire Mare.

The second name, winner of Dale Ann's lovely ACEO prints, is Kitty Forseth.

The third name and winner of the Gypsy Mare Studios pendant is Meghann.



Check back in a few weeks for our March giveaway!

Our 1st Giveaway!

We are very excited to announce today Whoa Team's first monthly giveaway. Every month we will be hosting a giveaway with items from our wonderful team artists.
This month you have three chances to win! All you have to do to enter is click on this link which will take you to an Etsy Whoa Team search page, and let us know what one of your favorite pieces is. You could also click on the box on the left sidebar that says "Shop".

You must leave a comment on this post only. Also, please make sure we have an easy way to reach you by leaving an email address, or having one tied to your blogger account. If we cannot contact you in a few days your prize will go to another person.

We will draw the winner's names in 10 days on Thursday, February 26, 2009.

And now, without further ado, here are February's giveaway prizes...

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A very pretty pegasus purse mirror and magnet from Artwolf.

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Two gorgeous ACEO prints from De La Renaissance


"Bunny Ears"

"Beauty and the Dragonfly"

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Handpainted black horse pendant from Gypsy Mare Studios.

Horse Love

Check back Monday to enter our first giveaway! We will have three wonderful prizes.
Hopefully every month we will have a giveaway with different Whoa Team artists.

In honor of Valentine's Day, a few Whoa Team member offerings...

Artist Spotlight: DeLaRenaissance

This week our featured artist is Dale Ann Widen, aka DeLaRenaissance. Thank you Dale Ann for answering my little Q & A!

Dale Ann with her first horse, a QH named Dan Fe Chock Tone (Chalk).

How long have you been selling on Etsy? The DeLaRenaissance shop was opened February 4, 2008.


What do you like about selling on Etsy?
I love the friendly welcoming atmosphere I felt the moment my shop was open. To heart fellow artisans, to feature them in captured treasuries, plus the opportunity I am given to converse with visitors and patrons brings a sense of positive community to Etsy, a wonderful community working together.


What are your earliest memories of creating equine art?
I can't be quite sure of the age, but every year at Christmas my Aunt would give me a brand new box of crayons which were always used to draw horses, some as my parents have shown me over the years, were added illustrations in my childhood books (ooops). When we were traveling by car, short trips or long, my doodles would materialize on the backseat passenger window. Frosty windows were always the best, but warm breath on a cool window worked just as well, and when they evaporated away the window was ready for new horses.

What is your favorite medium?
My favorite medium now is Prismacolor Pencils. No fumes, very little mess, and there is no dry time. Graphite is also wonderful, but I love to create art in almost any medium, oils, pastels, ink, wax/bronze, etc, etc.


What artists have influenced your work or provided inspiration?
The first artists that influenced my work were Charles Russell and Frederic Remington. Later in years I became very interested in the work of Maxfield Parrish, Leonardo da Vinci, Carl Larsson, John Frederick Herring Senior (one of my favorite paintings 'Barnet Fair'), and the living artist Scott Gustafson.


Please tell us a little about your pets.
Well, Benjamin is my 6 year old gorgeous red Mini Rex rabbit who we have had since he was a wee bunny. He adores attention and is so trusting of me that a few gentle strokes can send him into a bunny slumber cradled in my arms.Our cats are Bummble (a beautiful, very sweet and super lovey, but clumsy blue eyed seal-point mix), old Bert (our lovable black long hair grandpa cat), Carbon (a gentle, shy, black shorthair who adores only the person who feeds him, whom we adopted after he found his way to us as a frightened wee kitten), aging Fuzzy (a grey longhair who also is very lovable, but can be overly silly most of the time), and Tigger (a grey tabby, who's queen of the cat clan, claims my lap as her own, and follows me everywhere).My pet French Alpine goats are, Thorlief (queen of the herd), Collette (very sweet but very shy), Blueberry (very sweet and not shy), and Champagne ( a more lovable goat could not be found). On days that I sit on a large low rock with the girls, I am amused to watch as each goat pushes their way to spend time on my lap!And last as well as my largest pet is Maundo 'Special Effects', our solid bay 3/4 Egyptian Purebred Arabian gelding who will be celebrating his 28th birthday this spring. What a guy with personality! He talks about his grain bucket at meal time (how it needs to be filled), he talks about visitors (to be sure I know they are visiting), and he talks of the sweet ripe apples on the tree in the fall (oh please don't walk past the tree without one (or more) apples in your hand)! Did I mention he loves to stick his tongue out at the photographer when his picture is being taken as well? We so love him!I love them all, my dear pets!

De La Renaissance Website

Artist Spotlight: Artwolf

This week our featured artist is Linda, aka Artwolf. Thank you Linda for answering my little Q & A!



How long have you been selling on Etsy?
10 months

What do you like about Etsy?
There's real feel good atmosphere to the whole site, I really love it.
I know it sounds like a promo, but the staff are great, and everyone is just so helpful and pleasant to deal with.

What are your earliest memories of creating equine art?
I know this sounds stone age, but scratching with a nail on roof slates. Chalking on pavement(sidewalk).
Paper was at real premium, children were not given the luxury of sheets of paper.
My older sister, would bring scrap paper home from work, then I would attempt to draw Mr.Ed and Champion the wonder horse.



What is your favourite medium?
Its always been Mixed media combination of Pastels the harder chalk ones,soft artists pencils,watercolour,and ink all together.
I must admit I'll grab anything that works, your coffee dregs probably aren't safe Jen!

What artists have influenced your work or provided inspiration?
I remember the images, but don't know the names of the earliest ones, they were the wonderful illustrators of books like Black Beauty, Jill has Two Ponies. As I've grown older I've recognized Arthur Rackham, Dulac,and many wonderful artists from very early years. These were books my Mother bought from jumble/yard sales, so many were full of illustrations from 1920's to1950s,
Today one of my enduring classic favourites are Munnings oils.



Please tell us a little about your pets.
I have one elderly 7/8 Thoroughbred cross Irish Hunter, Bay Mare, Now is she 34 or 35 Yrs old!
She and I used to Compete in Eventing together,She was very brave and bold, and beautifully mannered in and out of the Stable.
Her name is 'Wednesday's Choice' , because she was bought at the Hereford Bloodstock Sales on the Wednesday.
Her Stable name is 'Woozle' from the Winnie the Pooh Story about hunting the woozle.
Poppy is my Black Labrador, my constant companion, a real sweet pea, always under my art table.
Sadly dear Poppy passed peacefully over the Rainbow Bridge 12th May 2009, Dearly missed.
17th August 2010, Sadly Woozle has also now gone to greener pastures joining old friends and Poppy.