There’s no doubt the RCMP will be carefully monitoring the activities of Joan Larson. That’s because the Vancouver Island artist is in the throes of creating a series of 25 spectacular pastel originals of the RCMP Musical Ride.

“There has never been an artist at Joan’s level who has created a body of fine art based on the RCMP Musical Ride,” says Paul Smith, Larson’s husband and marketing director.

Larson is affliated with several prestigious artists’ associations, has attained premier pastelist designation from the Pastel Society of Canada, and her works have been shown as far as Shanghai, New York and England.

The award-winning artist attended the Art Centre College of Design in Pasadena, Ca., and said while that experience was critical in her development as an artist, it more importantly provided her with the work ethic required for success.

“They taught me to work hard,” Larson says.

That hard work and the caliber of the Alberta-born artist’s work will be evident to the mainstream market as she unveils one work after another of this memorable and colourful series.

While Larson has traditionally focused on the horse, she’s also established a strong following for her landcapes and portraits working out of her Creekside Studio in Coombs, B.C. At this time, no Fraser Valley gallery carries her works.

The series, with seven underway or completed so far, features striking images of red serge, meticulously groomed bay horses and leather tack laced with Canadian patriotism.

Her greatest challenge with Celebrating the RCMP Musical Ride is to capture and transfer to canvas the emotionally-charged relationship between horse and rider, and the public. To gain detail and authenticity, Larson spent time at Rockcliff Stables in Ottawa, home of the musical ride, as well as the breeding facility in Pakenham, Ont.

Upon completion, the plan is to launch an exhibit and trot it across the nation. To do that, they’ll soon be looking for a corporate sponsor to underwrite the staging of the tour.

Currently, posters featuring the first of the series is available online, $35.

“We have made the first image available as a poster because we wanted it to be affordable,” she said, though she’s put a freeze on the series’ originals until after the national exhibit.

Ironically, Larson’s career in equine art was launched out of desire, and denial.

“I couldn’t have a horse as a child and just drew them incessently,” Larson said. “It was how I got close to horses.”

Visit www.joanlarson.com

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