This year I'm continuing on with the theme of thoroughbred racehorses and the track. I've always been fascinated by horses and jockeys, and I have a great admiration for people who can ride well. From an artist's perspective, a horse and rider offers amazing architecture, and beautiful proportions are always an inspiration. One only has to look at images of the great cathedrals to appreciate the power of architecture, and I do see a horse and rider in the same way. One of my concerns in making these paintings is composition. My aim is to make an arrangement that is complex but clear at the same time. Some of my favourite horse painters are Sir Alfred Munnings, Degas, George Lambert and at times, George Stubbs. Sometimes it's good to change direction in one's work, and an art that is about natural light and the organic can be refreshing, and I can understand why Hockney returned to Bradford to paint the landscape.
From the top -
Black Caviar, 2012, oil on linen, 84 x 1220 cm
Trackwork at Flemington, 2012, oil on MDF, 23 x 32 cm
Returning to Scale, 2012, oil on plywood, 49 x 40 cm
