Sharing a passion for horses!

KRISTINE NASON S.E.A., S.W.A.

The beauty of natural forms, particularly the magnificence and spirit of horses, has been a life-long inspiration. My passion is to capture a moment of eloquence, using horses to create images that speak to the deep emotions within, and ultimately, to enrich the lives of those who live with my art.

As a leading equestrian artist my work is respected for its anatomical accuracy, movement, and portrayal of the character of each subject. I’ve been elected to Full Membership of both the Society of Equestrian Artists and the Society of Women Artists. I’m an Associate Member of the Guild Society of Artists and also belong to the Association of Animal Artists.

Although I paint a lot of human portraits, horses are my primary subject matter. My work has regularly been selected for major art exhibitions and I have collectors throughout the world. I’ve won several awards, and been featured in top national and international art publications.

 

THIS IS HOW IT ALL BEGAN:

I grew up in the English countryside where horses were the back-drop to my childhood and I’ve always been enthralled by them. I didn’t have any formal training in fine art but my great-grandfather, a professional artist who had travelled the world with his paintbrush, encouraged me to draw from an early age. He taught me to observe the grace of movement and form in all living things, and to appreciate how emotion can be conveyed through an image.

And so it was, that almost as soon as I could hold a pencil I learned to feel and remember every contour of the horse, the tenderness of a muzzle, the scent of grass on warm breath, the exhilaration and connection of being at one with a beautiful sentient creature; and I learned to translate this knowledge into my art.

Time passed, my skills developed, and I utilized those principles as I experimented with other media: now my artwork is informed by the years of observation and study, the sound knowledge of anatomy, and the drawing skills I learned as a child.  

In my early days I reveled in the power of the pencil, and I still value drawing as an end in itself. Now I like to experiment with other media and I work with oil, acrylic and watercolour too. In fact it was the gift of a box of watercolours that set me on the road to being a full-time professional artist, following a successful career in the worlds of advertising and fine-art publishing! Now, when I want to make expressive, action-based pieces I choose to work in oil or acrylic, but I can achieve more nuanced results with watercolour, and strikingly atmospheric images with pencil and charcoal…  so these are the mediums I choose for portraiture.

 

If you’re interested in commissioning me to create a portrait of your horse, the process is easy. You’ll find a lot of information about it in the Talk About Portraits section of my Blogs.

Prices start at £500 for a pencil or charcoal sketch.  

 

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS

2019 The Guild Artists Exhibition (in association with The Fine Art Trade Guild), Crowne Plaza, Stratford Upon Avon

2018  The Horse in Art, Society of Equestrian Artists, Sally Mitchell’s Gallery, Museum of The Horse, Tuxford

2018 The Association of Animal Artists, Autumn Exhibition, Granary Art Gallery, Weston Park, Telford

2018 The Guild Artists Exhibition (in association with The Fine Art Trade Guild), Crowne Plaza, Stratford Upon Avon

2018  The Association of Animal Artists, Spring Exhibition, Castle Park Arts Centre, Frodsham, Cheshire

2017  The Horse in Art, Society of Equestrian Artists, Sally Mitchell’s Gallery, Museum of The Horse, Tuxford

2017  The Artist Exhibition, Patchings Art Centre, Calverton, Nottinghamshire

2017  Summer Exhibition, Society of Equestrian Artists, The National Horseracing Museum, Newmarket

2017  The American Academy of Equine Art, Spring online exhibition

2016  Annual Exhibition, Society of Women Artists, The Mall Galleries, London SW1

2016  The Cuneo Medal Exhibition, Society of Equestrian Artists Full Members only, Churchgate Gallery, Porlock, Somerset

2016  Winter Exhibition, Iona House Gallery, 4 High St. Woodstock, Oxford OX20 1TF

2015  Selected Works (Society of Equestrian Artists), The National Horse Racing Museum, Newmarket

2015  Windsor Contemporary Art Fair, Windsor Racecourse, Windsor, Berks

2015  Selected Works (Society of Equestrian Artists) at the Osborne Studio Gallery, Motcomb Street, London SW1

2015  Annual Exhibition, Society of Equestrian Artists, Sally Mitchell’s Gallery, Tuxford, Nottinghamshire

2015  ‘Horses In The Park’, Solo Exhibition, The Savill Building, Windsor Great Park TW20 0XD

2015  Annual Exhibition, Society of Women Artists, The Mall Galleries, London

2014  Annual Exhibition, Society of Equestrian Artists, Mall Galleries, London

2014  Annual Exhibition, Society of Women Artists, The Mall Galleries, London

2014  ‘Complementaries‘, works by Kristine Nason SWA SEA and Jane Wheaton SWA SFP, Wokingham

2014  The Golden Horses of Turkmenistan, The National Horse Racing Museum, Newmarket 2013  The Horse in Art, Society of Equestrian Artists, Mall Galleries, London

2013  The Horse in Art, Obsidian Fine Art, Stoke Manderville, Bucks

2013  Spring Exhibition of The Horse, The National Horse Racing Museum, Newmarket

2013  3rd International Conference of Horse Breeding & Art, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

2012  The Horse in Art, Society of Equestrian Artists, Menier Gallery, London

2005-2012 (inclusive)  Annual Exhibition, Society of Women Artists, The Mall Galleries, London

2012  Royal Watercolour Society, Bankside Gallery, London SE1

2011 4  Selected Artists, eXpression Fine Art Gallery, Crowthorne, Berkshire

2009-2011 (inclusive) The Horse in Art, Society of Equestrian Artists, Mall Galleries, London

2011  ‘A Feast for The Eyes’ – works by Kristine Nason and Evgeniya Sharp – Pepe Sale Restaurant, Reading, Berkshire

2011  Annual Exhibition, Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolour, Mall Galleries, London 2011  ‘On The Edge’, Reading Guild of Artists, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire

2010  Windsor Contemporary Art Fair, Windsor Racecourse, Windsor

2010  ‘Working Drawings’, Peacock Gallery, Maiden Erlegh, Berks

2008  The Horse in Art, Obsidian Gallery, Stoke Manderville, Bucks

2004-2008 (inclusive)  Society of Equestrian Artists, Mall Galleries, London, & Palace House, Newmarket

2008  Globe Gallery, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 8DL 2008  Spring Exhibition of Equestrian Art, J.Manley Gallery, Eton, Windsor, Berkshire 2007  The Horse in Art, Obsidian Gallery, Stoke Manderville 2007  Kristine Nason – Portraits and Equestrian Paintings, Windsor Festival at Ascot Racecourse 2007  ‘Cavalcade’ – work by leading equestrian artists, Figura Gallery, Windsor 2007  Gold Cup Week exhibition, Gallery Montpelier, Cheltenham UK 2007  Annual Exhibition, Pastel Society, Mall Galleries, London SW1  

 

AWARDS / PRIZES / PUBLICATIONS

2016  International Artist Magazine – Issue 110, P82 – 89 ‘Informed by Observation and Study’

2015  Society of Equestrian Artists – Best Drawing Award

2014  American Art Collector Magazine – Issue 103, P41, editorial entitled ‘Natural Beauty’

2014  International Artist Magazine – Art Challenge 3rd Prize, Issue 96, P7 ‘Chasing Shadows’

2011  Artist of the Year, Artists & Illustrators Magazine – runner-up Portraits, ‘The Gift’

2011  Artists & Illustrators Magazine, December issue 2011 ‘Voodoo Child’

2006  Society of Equestrian Artists – Sally Mitchell Fine Arts Publishing Award

2001  Best Professional in the Portrait, Figure or Animal Category, SAA Artist of the Year  

MEMBERSHIPS

The Society of Equestrian Artists – Full Member

The Society of Women Artists – Full Member

Guild Society of Artists – Associate Member

Association of Animal Artists  

TEACHING

2000 – present     EQUESTRIAN ART & PORTRAITURE                                one-to-one tuition

1995 – 2014         WORKSHOPS and DEMONSTRATIONS                          for art groups

2003 – 2005          DRAWING COURSE                                                         Open College of the Arts