MEET THE ARTIST BEHIND THE HOLIDAY HERD COLLECTION - JASMINE ELIZABETH

To celebrate the launch of our limited-edition Holiday Herd design, we sat down with the artist behind the collection to learn more about the creative mind that brought this magical pattern to life. Known for her distinctive layered silhouettes, warm neutrals, and expressive equine forms, she has transformed her Herd style from a personal passion into a signature artistic language recognized across the equestrian world.

For this collaboration, she blended her love of horses with the cozy, festive warmth of the season, creating a design that feels both timeless and joyfully spirited, perfectly aligned with Equestroom’s vision for the holidays.

In this exclusive interview, she shares the story of how the Herd began, the evolution of her process, the hidden details fans might not notice at first glance, and how it feels to see her art translated into everyday equestrian lifestyle pieces for the first time.

What inspired your very first Herd painting?

I had done two large black and white paintings of two of my horses and had those hanging on my wall. We redid the living room and went from a greyscale interior to more of a warm beige, so I needed a new painting to compliment the new colors. I wanted to stick with horses, but did want it to be as "in your face" obvious horses with bold colors. I landed on the abstract, neutral, collage style of the Galloping Herd and absolutely loved it. The first ever Galloping Herd still hangs in my master bedroom 🙂

How did the Herd evolve from a personal project into a full artistic style?

I actually posted a picture of my Christmas tree on my facebook and my painting could be seen in the background. Most of my facebook friends are horse friends and I got a few messages asking where I got my painting. When I told them I made it, they asked if I could make them one also. I began creating smaller paintings pretty cheap, and as I started to get too busy to make all originals, I began finding a printing partner. I was then asked if I could do the same type of painting, but with cows, and so began my process of creating more animals and selling prints.

Do you hide “Easter eggs” or personal details in your artwork that fans might not notice at first glance?

I do! I'm not sure I want to tell you haha there are three different ones I add into every painting multiple times. I will tell you two of them! The first is a very simple horse head, and the second is a very simple cow head. The are almost like a curved H as the front of a face, and then the horse head has ears and the cow head has horns and nostrils. It is a nod to the first painting I ever created (Galloping), and the first painting I ever sold (Wayward); and if you look closely at any one of my paintings, you can find them.

How long does it take to create a full Herd artwork from start to finish?

Ooh this is a great question and so hard to answer. As a range I would say anywhere from 20 - 80. I just released my new Primitive Herd collection and all of those fall around the 20 hour mark because it is a monochromatic full overlapping design so I don't put much planning time into that one ahead of time, and I don't have to be as careful or thoughtful with my placement. It is a truly fluid collection. Others that tend to fall on the higher end of that spectrum are ones that have a lot more coloring and shading, or are very intentional. Examples of some of those would be the Fort Worth Herd, York Street Herd, and Flamboyant Herd. My designs like those place very specific animals in very intentional places, and also hold a lot more color and design aspects.

Do you sketch horses from memory, reference photos, or pure imagination?

All of the above! The imagination come in with the total painting. The layout, the movements of the horses and where to put them, whether I will do more line/overlapping or individual/color shading. I have sooooo many horse photos of my own that I can always pull from those if I am looking for something specific. I have been drawing and painting horses so long that I can mostly free sketch. I also like to watch videos, videos help capture the muscle and angles and movements in real time so I can keep a more full picture of the equine form.

What part of the artistic process brings you the most joy?

I love finishing a painting. There are times when I think a painting should be done but I just know it's missing something. Other times I was planning more for a painting and I get to a point where I just love it and know it's done. That "aha, it's perfect!" moment is my favorite 🙂

What excited you most about creating an exclusive design for Equestroom?

I have been a horse girly my whole life and lived for any and everything that had a horse pattern on it. I am having an excited little girl moment knowing that my design will be the horse pattern so many people will get to love now! It's pretty wild, honestly, I am so excited.

What is your dream for the future of the Herd Collection?

I would love to sell out a solo show one day. That would be a big big dream, but I guess that's why it's called a dream! I am just so proud of my collection and I love how they all look next to each other and they are all so unique and different, but cohesive. I would love to hang them all together in a gallery one day and have a big solo show.

Are you a morning barn person or an evening barn person?

Oh, morning for sure. When I was a high school teacher I would go and ride before I went to school. Not sure my horse appreciated that much lol but he was a good sport. I love a quiet early morning at the barn. In the summer I do like an evening ride, cooling down on a long rein as the sun goes down, that's pretty dreamy too.

If your art style were a horse breed, what would it be and why?

Hmmm that's a tough one. Ok let's go with a Thoroughbred. I think the TB breed is so versatile. They can be wild and wiry, they can be chill and serene, stoic and professional, or goofy and random. I think my art can fall under all kinds of different personalities but still fit into one "breed," kind of like Thoroughbreds 🙂