About the Artist

The Shiloh Trail....

2019 is the year that changed everything for me as I set myself free from a 37 year darkness I wish on no one. My faith in a living God set me firmly in the saddle and my art is my story unfolding on canvas. Each brush stroke expresses my spirit, healing and courage within.

There is no looking back on the Shiloh Trail. As a cowgirl I have learned to keep my horse pointing forward on the trail ahead. An old cowboy once taught me while riding difficult wilderness trails on Douglas Lake Ranch, not to look down but to trust my horse to place his hooves safely on mountainous, rocky terrain. This sage advice is how I chose to travel the dusty trail of life. Step by step…

True faith is the most powerful force, pulling one out of darkness into Light. It takes faith, hard work and grit to follow your dreams.

An avid lover of all things wild west, cowboy & horse, this cowgirl has saddled up to explore a new frontier of becoming a full time artist.

Born in '64 to Dutch immigrants, my childhood roots are grounded in Holland & a dairy farm in the beautiful Fraser Valley, B.C., Canada.

A love for animals, farm life, Dutch traditions and a strong work ethic shaped my youth. The romance & adventure of horses, western novels & movies stirred dreams of the wild west.

Graduating from Agassiz Senior Secondary in 1982, I completed 1st year Graphic Arts at UFV, uncertain of my calling.

The impressions of cowboys on a Nicola Valley cattle drive one beautiful fall day in 1984 forever branded my soul, nurturing the desire to one day live and paint the western life I dreamt about. I tasted this dream a few years back after riding my motorcycle to Great Falls, Montana to visit the Charles M. Russel Gallery, inspiring me as saw his progress as an artist on those walls.

Somewhere on my trail ride God began a work of grace in my heart & I became a follower of Jesus Christ.

Adventure & adversity revealed a tenacity within this shy farm girl and I overcame fear with faith, accomplishing goals such as raising sheep & cattle, ranching, running a bible camp kitchen, facilitating cowboy church, motorcycle riding, horse & mule training, hunting, shooting, and raising a son who is a retired RCMP officer & Medal of Honour recipient.

I have the fondest memories of my time spent as a cowgirl on the 7-7 Ranch in the Chilcotin, and 7 years spent living & working as a cowgirl on the C-C Ranch in Nicola Valley. Grand adventures on this trail ride include working in cattle chutes, standing my ground against waspy Black Angus mommas, facing a grizzly bear in the Chilcotin, tracking a cougar behind my ranch home in Merritt, seeing a Spirit bear near Aiyansh, black wolves in the Chilcotin, riding horses in some beautiful wilderness, raising and training my beautiful Belgian Malinois and meeting some of the finest working cowboys.
One of my finest cowgirl moments was the day I pushed a calf that was separated from his mother several miles down steep, rocky terrain as he ran like a speeding bullet, racing along fenceline between the Coquihalla Hwy, heading for Merritt. I followed that calf through thick brush at full speed on horseback, managing to turn him in time to get him under the hwy tunnel, back down to the pasture where his mamma was waiting. 

With a heart full of His love, my trail ride to freedom and healing is deeply engrained within my creativity. 

God's embracing love grants me the strength to face my future with faith, hope and love as I discover who God created me to be.

Work on a dairy farm, landscape gardening & caretaking to make ends meet, I discipline myself daily to reach my artistic goals.

My future is on canvas as I work towards my dream to live & paint in Spain. My current body of work is a series of original paintings  that I have titled The Shiloh Trail, representing the trail ride to freedom for God’s people. While the originals in this collection are not for sale, prints will become available in the future. 

I’m a woman of impeccable integrity & faith, having faced insurmountable odds with grit & grace, teaching me that I am a beautiful, worthy, capable woman with a powerful voice & gift of freedom. I recently achieved my dream of obtaining my Dutch citizenship which opens doors of opportunity to explore my heritage and a future in Spain.

With cowboy hat in hand I am pursuing His call to create art that is a reflection of His grace visible through eyes of wonder.

My art is exploratory as I emerge from the darkness of a difficult past as a DV survivor to find peace & light, and restore my stolen voice.

My future aspirations include studio life in Spain, mastering oils, & studying under a mentor to improve my skills.

I use my own reference photos & life experiences. I currently work with acrylics, oils, watercolours & graphite drawing.

Thank you for joining me on this trail ride. I appreciate your interest & support.

If you’re looking for me, I’m the one in the Stetson on my buckskin horse named Shiloh, riding wild & free on open range in untamed land….and this cowgirl ain’t lookin’ back. 

Anita van Tol

"courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway"

John Wayne

'Freedom is riding wild & free over untamed land with no notion that any moment exisits beyond the one I am living'...

Elsa Dutton