Painting With A Vision

Finding beauty in the motions of a horses is easy for anyone that rides. But, capturing the beauty, and relaying the motion through artwork isn’t for everyone. Josey Butler, of Streakin B Art captures every emotion a rider can feel in her jaw dropping oil and water color paintings.

Josey isn’t just an artist though, she’s a mom, wife and fierce competitor in multiple arenas. Her love for a good horse has brought each of her pieces to life on a canvas. “I was raised by a single mother on my grandfathers cow calf operation in South-West Missouri,” says Butler. She started drawing, and painted as a stress reliever, in her child hood and it grew as an adult. However, it wasn’t until she started sharing her art on social media until she realized how much of a positive reaction everyone had to it.

“In 2012 KC and Gayle Jones took an interest in my work and paid me to do a commission for the National Finals Rodeo party at the Mirage Casino known as 'Rodeo Vegas',” says Butler. After that Streakin B Art grew faster than ever thanks to word of mouth in the horse industry.

Her art is primarily based off of Reined Cowhorse’s, and other Western images that excites her creativity. “Anytime a moment makes an impression on me I am liable to end up painting it,” says Butler.

She has created much of her work from the runs she has watched in various Western performance industries. “'Up against the wall' was of Corey Cushing, and SJR Diamond Mist. I didn’t realize it until someone pointed it out to me… I just remembered the run and the motion of it, and started painting,” says Butler.

All of her work is from canvas to paint, Josey doesn’t pre-draw on canvas or put a layout in pencil. Starting out she did most of her work in water color, but later moved to acrylic and has stayed with it since. Her use of color on canvas shows the whole scene of the horse and rider.

Josey has started a new endeavor in her art career, making bronze statues. “I have sold five statues since I started out last year, that’s huge for me. It was a goal I had set out to do and it all happened fast.

“Im a mom first, wife second, and an Artist third and I hope I’m considered a Horse Woman at the end of it all,” says butler. She originally started off as a jokey in the Barrel Horse industry. She specialized in Futurity Barrel Horses for many years but lately has traded in her three barrels for a Reined Cowhorse that can do three events. “You can’t fake three events, your horse has to be trained for it,” says Butler.

Last year was her first time showing at the National Reined Cow Horse Futurity in, Fort Worth, Texas. “I love how broke the cow horses get. I Futurity Barrel Raced the horse I showed last year and next year she will be a futurity rope horse for my husband to show,” says Butler. This year Josey has another horse to show at the NRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity; A bay filly by Once In A Blue Boon will be her mount to take her through all three events in the open Snaffle Bit Futurity.