Ashford Castle By Michael Tang

Father Michael Tang is professor, Catholic priest, and an artist who paints large watercolors reflecting his life in California and his love of horses and dogs.

Tang received his bachelor’s degree in studio arts from Loyola Marymount University (Calif.) in 1981, as well as a Master of Fine Art in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (Ill.) in 1983.  He earned two other masters degrees in theology and divinity from the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif.

He’s a professor of art and art history at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, and associate pastor of St. Joseph Church in Hawthorne, Calif., where he lives with his two Jack Russell Terriers, Sophie and Cece.

The award-winning artist specializes in brilliant watercolors, and his sporting art has appeared on the covers of The Chronicle of the Horse, Horse Show, The New York Times Magazine, Dressage Today, as well as many other publications. As a member of the National Watercolor Society and the American Academy of Equine Art, Tang has exhibited widely and many of his works are in numerous private and permanent collections nationwide.

This week’s cover Ashford Castle (see obituary Jan. 16, p. 28) is a watercolor of the late show hunter who made his name in the mid- to late ‘90s. The Virginia-bred 7⁄8 Thoroughbred-1⁄8 Clydesdale was Corrine Lindner’s partner for many years in the junior and amateur-owner divisions; he was inducted into the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame in 2007.

When not teaching, painting, or celebrating Mass, Tang enjoys bringing along young show hunters; his current project is Zandigo, a 4-year-old Dutch Warmblood, whom he shares with his friend, Cyndi Merritt, the owner and head trainer of Baycrest Farms in Lakeview Terrace, Calif.