About the Artist

We live on a farm in Wetter an der Ruhr close to the river Ruhr, that is not far from Cologne (less than one hour by car). Here is where I was born and raised. Along with my husband Markus Hillringhaus, our twins Felina and Leonard, and three white Anglo Arabians brothers and sisters. Their names are Blika, Baroness and Bastian, and we have known them since they was born. The Hovawart female dog Caya (Hovaward is one of the oldest German Dog breed). And of course Gina the cat. The twins was born on December 2006, therefore in 2007 there was only one exhibition done which was Equitana, with the help of family and friends.

"...without the existence of horses I may never have begun to paint..."

In my childhood there was no sheet of paper safe from me. I had to draw a horse on it, no matter how small or big the sheet was. On the street I painted horses with a stone. In the restaurant of my parents on the beer-coasters and bill sheets with a ball pen. If there was a room to fresh up I drew horses as big as possible on the old wallpapers. If there where water vapour on the window, I painted a horse on it. If you asks me when I started to paint horses I think it was to that time when I be able to hold a pen in my hand. Later I went with a barrow through the neighbourhood and collected the old rests of colour boxes. With these colours I painted horses on our tool shed in the garden. Horses who are looking out of the stable.

When I was 11, my parents allowed me to get riding lessens. At the age of 14 I took care of two ponies named Rocky and Dolly and learned to ride bareback cross country. When I reached the age of 16 I have saved enough money to let my dream come true and buy my first horse, the Hanovarion chesnut mare Sassari, called Sassi.

"Can you paint my Bayka?" asked Claudia, a friend of mine, back in 1994. So the first official horse portrait was born. Prior to that, over the years, I had done some assorted portraits in pencil, mostly of children and of course pets and horses. But for me it started with Bayka, during my study time, as she was a sister to our horses.

Bayka's portrait get the ball rolling quickly for me. Some more friends and people began asking for a portrait. So it followed with portraits of Balmung, Lutsen, Andiamo and Komet. These friends and people began to tell their friends as well. So it became that the portrait painting became an important part of my artwork, and helped me to finance my studies at University.

In 1986, I finished my learning/formation to become a window dresser, www.creativgruppe.de Learning the job in the "creativgruppe etzrodt", doing lifesize skulptures and wall paintings creating eyecatchers for window decorations.

• 1997 - Worked as an illustrator and layouter in the advertising agency Projekt Partner. www.projekt-partner.de
• 1993-97 - Design Study at the University of Dortmund and become a Diploma Designer.
  By the topic unusually sights the painting of Sassi the smiling Horse was done. My drawing instructor, Professor Peter Freese, encouraged and support my equine theme. He said you can only be good in things you like and are interessted in and know about. Until I meet Professor Freese every Instructor or teacher in my life didn't like it if I painted a horse. Also I didn't paint any Horses while I had been in school or University. I did it only at home for myself. ut after I meet Professor Freese I let "all my horses come out" and I painted horses and equine topics, like my riding boots my saddle, all these items I brought into the drawing room and painted it during the drawing lessons.
  
  Term works to the topic the history of human and horses was drawn in black and white graphics, Instructor Professor Pit Moog and Professor Böhm. To term work legend and mythen I did works about the horse in the mythology by instructor Professor (.....), in the meantime he becomes a Dekan (the hihgest position you can get at the University). He said one time he allowed that I painted horses in his term. But in the future it was forbidden for me to paint horses in his topics again.
  
  At last I did my Diploma work to do the illustrations for a children's book. Once long ago I wrote the story for myself. Professor Freese introduced and promoted me and I become a master pupil. For me that meant to paint day and night to get the best drawings ever created in my life. I never worked so hard before by painting a picture, and learned so much. Professor (....) was the examiner for diploma check and he wanted to cancel my diploma. Because there was a Rocking Horse in the illustrations for the children's book. I was shocked after 10 Months of hard work for nothing! I don't believe that any other Student in my class worked so hard for the Diploma like I did, most of them Professor (....) gave the best notes for its Diploma. 
  
  Professor Freese did a hard job to see that my diploma work was seen by the examiner. But I became the worst evaluation for my diplom, the worst in the class. So I removed all of my paintings out of the committed Diploma exhibition and hung on that empty wall a piece of toilet paper, "real artwork". During my studies I started portraying artwork and the first exhibitons shown the artwork that was done at the University.
  
  After my studies were done, I worked independently as an artist. The commissioned artwork was enough to live from. And there was no chance for me with the bad Diploma evaluation to get a job anywhere else.
  
  
• 1993 Illustrations for the book "Mit Pferden Tanzen" Author Klaus Hempfling printed in the Frankh Kosmos publishing house.
• 1994 First Visit on the Northsee -horse- island. Just many visits follow until now. www.munier-juist.de
• 1995 In March, I met Brigitte Eberl for the first time in my life at the horse fair Equitana.
• 1995 In November, the first comunity exhibition started on the fair Pferd und Jagd in Hannover. Many exhibitions followed...until now.
• 1995 Illustrations for the swiss made horse magazine, "Pegasus". Many illustrations followed over the years.
• 1996 During drawing a charcoal picture the idea was born for the white series, only to paint the shadows in a picture without painting a outline.
• 1996 Visits to the animal photographer Marion and Hans Kuczka, whom gave me some photos for inspiration. Later Ritske the rearing Friesian developed from this. www.fotokuczka.de
• 1997 The first bötzel-eberl Equitana comunity exhibition.
• 1997 Starting the white Series, the first picture shows two Andalusians I called the Picture Fandango. The black and the blue series followed. Here I only painted the lights without the outline. It was hard to find the right blue colour for the blue series. A good friend of mine give me the final tip, and so the first blue picture, shown two Andalusians, gets his name Rays Blue Fandango.
• 1997 The white series gets its top with the watercolour image of the Andalusian Almanzor, the well known Show horse of Florian Müller. www.finca-vera-isabel.de When it become an artprint one mistake happened. The printing company added the wrong signature with the wrong year of doing the artwork under the picture, they signed it 1999 instead of 1997.
• 1998 Titel Illustration for the book "Das erste Pferd vergisst man nicht" Author Christa Schütt printed in the Schneider Buch publishing house.
• 1998 With the Kuczkas, I visited the De Jong Show Team. We watched the training for the Royal Horse Gala. www.cor-de-jong.com
• 1998 The Black Series got to its best with the painting of the Frisian Ritske, the Show horse from the De Jong team, and the dressage Stallion Donnerschlag.
• 1998 The oil painting of Calypso 2 develops. On this picture I wanted to see what have I learned over the years. I painted like a maniac, forgot to eat and to sleep. One night the fine brushes were used up, they lost all their hairs. I cut some of my hairs and taped them at an empty brush-handle and contined on painting.
• 1999 Well known visitors to our Equitana Stand, Berd Eylers equine sporting photographer and Klaus Philipp Germany's famous artist. www.horse-gate.com
• 1999 The Watercoulour image of the three Frisians is done. It is called TioRi, short form from Tio and Richard the horses in the picture.
• 1999 Some more of combined pictures follow. I did the the close-up of the horses more extremely.
• 1999 The Company Fanomenal produced its first Bötzel collection. Starting images are Sassi and Ritske. www.fun-tasia-praesente.de
• 1999 The oil painting of Calypso 2 was chosen by a Jury for the international art exhibition in Saumur in France.
• 1999 Visited Klaus Philipp in his studio, with Elke and Michael Hoppe. They were the inventors of the mini chaps.
• 1999 Exhibition in Saumur France. Met Klaus Philipp again. He was chosen for the exhibition with two pictures.
• Visited the Cadre Noir and the Museum of the horse in Chantilly. www.cadrenoir.fr
• 2000 Polydors oil painting is in Progress. I drove to the National Stud to see him live in person. In April, Polydor died. His grooms called him Papa Bär.
• 2000 Visited Dobels Cento, Sir Satchmo in the National Stud Zweibrücken and the National Stud in Marbach.
• 2000 Portraying dressage team Rudolf Zeilinger and Livijno. www.zeilinger-sportpferde.de
• 2000 The painting of Weltmeyer was created. www.landgestuetcelle.de
• 2000 Exhibition National Stud Westphalia, Hengstparade. www.landgestuet.nrw.de
• 2001 The Westfalia Trailer Group becomes a new design with different horse-breeds. First shown at the Equitana.
• 2001 Visited Hengststation Korte to do a portrait of the Stallion Pik Labionics. www.hengste-korte.de
• 2001 Visited Hengststation Jens Meyer to do a portrait of the stallions Cashman and Dacaprio. www.jens-meyer.com
• 2002 Excursion through the Ruhrgebiet, the old coal miner's area in Germany, with Brigitte Eberl. Trekking where, 100 years ago, the miner's horses had gone. From this inspiration for the sculpture Old Mare and the big coal drawings Mainers Horse, Mainers Horse2/Sleeping Sassi developed. Sassi, my 30 year old mare, is our model. In Summer we celebrated her 30th birthday with a funny horse party. On the 25 of September she fell asleep in my arms forever.
• 2002 Mainers Horse 2 and Old Mare where chosen from the jury for the international art exhibition in Saumur France.
• 2002 Euro Cheval, after the fair had finished for the day we visited Egon von Neindorf Reitinstitut. Later he visited us at the fair. Unfortunately the planned exhibition in the Reitinstitut was never done.
• 2002 First meeting with His Highness in Vechta.
• 2003 Presented the His Highness oil painting to Doug and Louise Leatherdale during the Stallions presentation. www.leatherdalefarms.com
• 2003 Equitana and at the same time the show Jumping in Dortmund are an exhibitions challenge.
• 2003 Exhibition the World Dog Show in Dortmund.
• 2003 For the World Dog Show the Fanomenal Company produced a Bötzel -Dogs- Collection.
• 2003 Again painting like a maniac, I created the watercolour picture, El Caballo Engalanado - for short called Gala - inspired by the Showhorse Deleitosso from Oliver Jubin. www.tanzende-beine.de
• 2003 The Company Nana Schmuck produced a Bötzel wrist watch collection. www.nana-schmuck.de
• 2003 Again photoshooting with his Highness. During the Shooting the horse ran away. The worst minutes in my passing by. Then we picked the grazing horse up beside the lane.
• 2004 Visit the Museum of the Horse in Chantilly France with Brigitte Eberl. www.pferdemuseum-chantilly.com
• 2004 Exhibition in Lexington Kentucky, with Brigitte Eberl visit the Kentucky Horse Park, the Museum of the Horse and the Thoroughbred Park.
• 2004 Visited the national Stud in Kladruby Tschechien, cordially welcome from the director Lenka Gotthardova. www.nhkladruby.cz We saw the Kinski Horse Stud and it was very worth seeing the museum of the horse in Satinany. There is a big selection of the original George Hamilton paintings.
• 2005 Visited the Killarney Riding Stables from Donie O'Sullivan in Ireland. www.killarney-riding-stables.com An extensive photo-shoot in the Ring of Kerry area to O'Sullivans 100 horses and an unforgettable ride on horseback to the national park in Killarney.
• 2005 Visited The Morgan Horse Farm Boxberg and the Plain Field Appaloosa Farm. www.g-h-b.de and www.tibetterrier-gutfriedenthal.de
• 2005 Exhibition in the Museum of the Horse Westfalen. The topic was the horse as a Symbol. www.hippomaxx-muenster.de
• 2005 Polydors oil painting finds a place beneath the stuffed Polydor in the Museum of the Horse in Westfalen.
• 2005 Colourful commissions artwork in acrylics develops. Made for fun and captured the spirit of the time.
• 2005 Exhibition in Verona Italy, part of the promoting program westphalia.
• 2005 Exhibition at the National Stud Kladrub Tschechien. Director Lenka Gotthardova leads our guests through Studs and castles.
• 2006 Exhibition in Birmingham GB. View Photos
• 2006 The watercolour painting of Gala wins the Horses in Art Award in the USA.
• 2006 World Dressage Champion Satchmo becomes a commission portrait. www.isabell-werth.com
• Painting by a photograph of Maximilian Schreiner. www.im-blickpunkt.com
• 2006 Ride and Slide in Finnland produced a Bötzel Collection. www.rideandslide.com
• 2007 Equitana and an unforgettable photographer seminar with Christiane Slawik on the Horse Island Juist. www.slawik.com
• 2007 Peli International started a brand new Bötzel Collection. www.peli-international.de
• 2007 inspired by my white and black series the idea for the red racer painting develops and I paint it.
• 2008 January and March - "Red Racer" was distinguished two times by art contests in the United States

Atelier Christina Bötzel