Champion barrel racer rolls into Stampede art show with horse paintings

A champion barrel raceris taking a break from the rodeo to show and sell her art at this year's Calgary Stampede.

SammyBird, a 25-year-old woman from the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Montana, paints vibrant, colourful images of horses.

She also was the champion of the 2016 Indian National Finals Rodeo as the only cowgirl to have points in both women's breakaway and in women's barrels.

Her art is being displayed at the Western Showcase, which is in the BMO Centre on the Stampede grounds.

Bird spoke with Calgary Eyeopener host David Gray on Thursday morning about combining her two passions of art and rodeo.

Q: Artist and rodeo champion cowgirl. How do you do that?

A:I say thatif I'm not on a horse, I'm painting a horse. I spend all my time with horses. I've been rodeoing since I was a little girl and just recently kind of got into painting them, so I have high goals in both aspects.

Q: How does that translate to your artist's life?

A: I grew up on a horse and so horses come second nature to me. I wasn't taught, I didn't go to school for art. I took high school art and that's all I've taken. I went and got my degree in natural horsemanship from the University of Montana-Western. It just came second nature to me. I didn't ever learn to paint. It just comes from something in the inside.

Q: Describe what your images look like.

A: I paint very vibrant colours. I guess you could almost call the paintings loud. They're kind of a contemporary style of horses and I love putting in my Native American culture in there. I'm very proud of that and so I try to incorporate that into my paintings.

• Listen to Sammy Bird's full interview on the Calgary Eyeopener

I paint horses. I don't paintpeople. I paint horses because to me, horses are very honest. They are what they are and they're just really easy for me to paint because I just love them so much. And see people, it'd be a little harder for me because I don't have the same feeling for them.

Q: What kind of questions do you get from buyers?

A: "Where does this come from?" Because my stuff is so not realistic. It's really just come from the inside. Everyone's like, "how do you start?"

With all of my paintings, especially my horses, I start from the eye and I paint my way out. I always have an idea when I start painting of how it's going to turn out and then when I'm done it's just something completely different. But you know it works, so I just tell them it's something from the inside.

I paint with acrylic. But more than I paint with acrylic, I paint with my heart, I paint with my energy. My goal at the end of every painting is for it to have a positive influence. For someone to look at it, I want it to make someone happy.

Q: What's next for you after youleave the Stampede?

A: I rodeo all summer long, so I'll be on the rodeo trail. Hopefully make it to the Indian finals again and hopefully get another world championship under my belt. That would be my ultimate goal.

Later on in life, I would like to make it to the Stampede in the rodeo and just continue with my art.

I really would love it if my art could be something influential and a positive effect on all Indians and Native Americans, especially the youth. You know, it's possible.I feel like nothing's out of reach.

I had goals and I had dreams and I just put my nose to the grindstone and kind of got after them. And you know, they're coming true. I'm still shooting higher and higher, but it's possible.

I think beingespecially a young Native American kid, it doesn't really seem like your goals are reachable or achievable, but they definitely are.

I want to be a motivator and an influential person to other kids. I'm very blessed to be on this journey and I want to pass that on to other people.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.

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