Reflections by Brittnie Chidsey

Brittnie Chidsey, 18, is a senior at Southern Cayuga High School in Genoa, N.Y. She painted the watercolor Reflections as part of her Advanced Placement art class portfolio. She chose equine art as her concentration and has focused on depicting horses in 12 of the 24 pieces she’ll be submitting for her final grade this spring.  

“I’ve been drawing horses since I was little,” said Chidsey, who is considering design, either graphic or interior, as a career option. She plans to attend Cazenovia College (N.Y.) this fall.

Brittnie was inspired to create a stained glass-theme painting after observing other stained glass pieces, including those done by her mother, Deb Chidsey.

“Brittnie first designed a picture/pattern that could actually be made using stained glass, all the cuts are possible,” said Deb. “She then went looking through different types, textures and colors of stained glass to come up with her color scheme.”

Brittnie is a C-3 member of Red Jacket Pony Club and currently competes in show jumping with her mare Champagne Dreams. Last year the pair placed ninth at the USPC Show Jumping Championships (Ky.) with her team Rio Grande/Tri State/Western New York, and second individually in the jump-off round.