Biography
Anita Baarns was born in Fontainebleau, France in 1958. After five years in France, her parents returned with her to the country of their citizenship, The Netherlands. Anita was educated in Nijmegen, Holland. In 1988, she came to the United States and entered Northern Virginia Community College, where she majored in studio fine arts, and received an A.A.S. degree, summa cum laude, in May, 1991. She entered the University of Maryland in the Fall of 1991, majored in studio fine arts, and was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, in May, 1993.
In 1992, she was granted United States Patent 5,089,351 for a Process For Creating Artworks By Application Of Crayon And Ink. Her oil paintings have been exhibited at the American Academy of Equine Art in Lexington, Kentucky in 1995, 1996, 2001 and 2014. Her work has appeared many times on the cover of “The Chronicle of the Horse.” In 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2007 she was appointed the Official Artist for the International Gold Cup Races, Great Meadow, Virginia, and in 2000 and 2002 the Official Artist for the Upperville Horse Show, Upperville, Virginia. She has established her studio at Meadow View Farm in Loudoun County, Virginia, where she hunted with the Piedmont Fox Hounds and the Fairfax Hunt. She specializes in painting horses and hounds in their natural surroundings.
In 1998, she became a naturalized citizen of the United States, and won the Jean Bowman Award for “best-in-show” entered in the exhibition of Sporting Art sponsored by the Museum Of Hounds And Hunting, Morven Park, Leesburg, Virginia. Beginning in 2005, her work has been on display for sale at Frost & Reed in New York City. Anita has been busy creating oil paintings, pastels and other works by commission, including images of horses, hounds and dogs for their owners, as well as portraits of those animals in landscape together with their owners. A selection of her portraits of dogs were displayed in June, 2006 at The American Kennel Club Museum Of The Dog, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was commissioned to paint the “Breeder of the Year Award” for the AKC. The painting is displayed at the AKC headquarters in NY.
In May 2016, Anita was promoted Signature Member of the Society of Animal Artists, and in 2017 she was promoted Juried Member of the Academy of Equine Art.
Her coffee table book, The Country Life of an Artist, was published in 2020.
Anita’s web site is www.anitabaarns.com and www.dogbranchpublishing.com
Anita started her first HPDE August, 2023 and became a Solo driver with FATT and PCA in 2024. In 2024 she drove in 22 driving events, including FATT, PCA, BMW, Get Fast, SCDA and Road Potomac. She received her full competition license with SCCA October 2025, and has a provisional license with NASA and BMW.
"I'm so addicted to driving on the track!"
