Paintings by the highly respected artist Sarah Aspinall combine a pre-Raphaelite palette with an absolute understanding of the horse.

In both her classic portraiture and her looser, more expressive work, Sarah’s aim is to capture the subtleties of each horse’s character, whilst keeping the anatomy correct.

Starting her painting career with a B.A.Hons and an M.A. degree at St. Martin’s School of Art in London, Sarah then moved to Rome. Surrounded by art and history, Sarah spent the next 10 years developing her own style in painting, and working in art restoration. “Working as a restorer on Old Master paintings was an extraordinary privilege, and a great learning curve”, says Sarah. “Knowing how Caravaggio mixed his pigments, oils and resins certainly gives me confidence that the work I am producing today will be around for several generations to come. I find this a very exciting concept.”

In 1995 the Italian Jockey Club nominated her their official artist, painting their Derby winners. Well-known in Italian racing circles, Sarah exhibited regularly at Rome’s Capannelle racecourse, often appearing on TV and in the national press.

On moving back to England, Sarah was able to exhibit more frequently with The Osborne Studio Gallery, and is their sole commissions only artist. An ever-growing list of collectors bears testament to Sarah’s popularity as one of our foremost equine artists.

Sarah remains very much a “hands on” painter, believing that a period of physical contact with the horse is vital prior to beginning a painting. “To run my hands over muscle, bone and skin helps to build up an honest translation of the animal onto canvas.”

Sarah lives and works in Sussex, and when not in the studio is to be found riding her much loved mare over the Sussex Downs!