COLEBROOK – Connecticut artist Susan Dorazio will hold an Open Studio on Saturday and Sunday, June 23 and 24, from 1 to 5 pm, to display works reflecting her 30-year career.

“A beautiful piece from her collection was on display in the hunt room of the Fairfield County Hounds in Bridgewater,” said Rhoda Hopkins, master. “The accurate portrayal and capturing of the spirit and animation of the hounds … contribute to the success of the work.”

Born in Mount Vernon, New York, Ms Dorazio won her first competition at age 13 and had her first gallery exhibit at age 17. Her portraits have been displayed in private collections and other works have hung at museums and at national exhibitions. She has won numerous awards such as Best in Show for Winter Sleigh Bells at the Draft Horse Classic in California and Best in show for Chincoteague Ponies at the AAEA national spring exhibition.

“She has won a loyal and enthusiastic following of collectors who treasure the deftness of line blending of light and colors … and soft appealing rendition of the beauty of the standardbred horse in authentic settings of the race track,” said Stan Bernstein, executive vice-president of Harness Tracks of America.

Her work has been featured at the International Museum of the Horse in Kentucky, the PS Gallery in Connecticut, and in national publications such as Chronicle of the Horse, Hoof Beats and Equine Images.

Other publications – like The Equine Journal and Saddle & Bridle – publisher her monthly cartoon, “Rail Talk.”

Ms Dorazio is a full member of the American Academy of Equine Art and teaches watercolor workshops through the AAEA in Lexington, Kentucky, and at her studio in Colebrook.

“For years I’ve admired Susan Dorazio’s work ... the subjects (horses, horses and people, horses and dogs) are accurately and feelingly portrayed,” said Louise W. King, horsewoman and artist. “(That’s) just what you’d expect from a longtime member of the Academy of Equine Art. Susan Dorazio seems to capture every detail of a horse’s moment in time.”