Latest News

October 2011

Mugs on TV
Thanks to Mike Cattermole my mugs were used on The Morning Line for Channel 4 Racing on the 8th Oct.  I know I’m biased, but I do think they were a great improvement and should be used permanently; after all they are about racing.  People even commented on the “Fab new mugs” on Channel 4 Racing Twitter page.

Painting at the Newmarket Racecourse
I was invited to be Artist at Newmarket Racecourse for the new race day “Dubai Future Champions Day” on the 8th October. Whilst painting my current works, I also provided creative activities for children to perform, related to racing silks.  The team from The National Horseracing Museum were there too providing entertainment for youngsters.  We had a fun day if a bit chilly and damp.

Welcome to Newmarket’s twin town committee from Lexington, Kentucky
The evening of the 8th October was also the Welcome Reception for the Lexington Committee, at the Newmarket Memorial Hall.  I was delighted to meet with them again, but especially Kay Sargent who co-ordinated my trip to Lexington in 2010 for Horse Mania.  It sadly passed far too quickly for me, though I’m sure they were very tired having been awake for a couple of days by then!

Strictly come Newmarket
15th October was a day designed to celebrate the successful opening of 8 new shops in Newmarket.   Thanks to the inspiration and motivation of the members of the Newmarket Retailers Association for the’ Strictly come Newmarket’ competition in January this year, there are new businesses opening.  Although, I did not want a High St retail outlet when I entered Strictly, I have designed and produced goods to promote Newmarket and a website shop.  I put up a stall in the High Street and had a lovely day talking to people about my designs and products.  The High St had a buzzing atmosphere that day…long may it last.

 

September 2011
Saw a central table display of my mugs, cards and the story behind their development, at the National Horse Racing Museum, Newmarket.  

 

August 2011

I met with Chris Garibaldi, a journalist and a photographer from the Newmarket Journal. Pictures were taken and my story told. I hope they are well received and the message of using local racing silks as a modern heraldry to identify and promote Newmarket the Town of Horseracing is understood.

I will be painting in the Weighing Room at the National Horseracing Museum on Thursdays and available to talk about my work.

July 2011

The National Horse Racing Museum are selling bone china mugs, hand decorated in Stoke on Trent, carrying my designs of the Newmarket racing silks. They are available for purchase exclusively in the National Horseracing Museum shop. (99 High St, Newmarket CB8 8JH. Tel: 01638 667333)

 

Horse about Newmarket

Newmarket Festival – float pictures of foals and horses.

The artists have painted their horses with their designs and they will are on show from 16th June.

 

January 2011

After meeting with Marion Green and attending an information day, I entered the 'Strictly Come Newmarket' contest. The competition was the idea of the Retailers Association to encourage new business and trade as there were increasingly more vacant shop premises in the Town. People with a business idea for Newmarket were invited to enter and do a presentation for the 'dragons' (who were not mean, but very helpful) with an aim to winning prizes to help them set up in business.

In order to do this presentation, I had to gather a lot of information to support my aims for developing promotional goods that represent Newmarket. I didn't win the first prize, but I was awarded a list of assistance to be claimed as I am ready.

It was stressful and exciting all rolled in to one. This event was pivotal in convincing me to try and pursue my ideas. I had to gather financial information and present it and my designs/paintings to a new audience. The response was good and I identified gaps in my knowledge.

Thank you to the Retailers Association.

 

7th December 2010  Christmas Lights

After meeting with Marion Green, a member of The Newmarket Retailers Association, I was invited to switch on the Christmas lights on the 7th December with our Mayor Councillor Michael Jeffereys. 

‘This invitation is offered in recognition of your achievement in promoting Newmarket by your own initiative’. 

I can’t tell you how surprised and delighted I was to receive their invitation.  The 7th December must have been the coldest night ever, -7 degrees.  This unfortunately meant Father Christmas, The Mayor and myself drove through the streets in a bull-nosed open top Morris, supplied by Bill McLean a member of Newmarket car club at the last minute.  Plans to travel in a horse-drawn 1840s mail coach donated for the occasion by The Newmarket Horse Racing Museum had to be abandoned on the day, when the white horses that would draw the carriage couldn’t travel from Norfolk in such conditions.  I don’t think it was any warmer in the car, but sadly many people had come to see the carriage and horses and were disappointed as they didn’t notice the car carrying Santa, travelling much quicker.  Thanks to Bill Mclean for coming to the rescue. 

The carols were sung, the speeches were given and the lights were switched on by me.  We were frozen to the core and warmed by the community spirit.   It was a fun evening, thank you Newmarket.

 

Friday 3rd December 2010

All 89 horses were auctioned at the grand Keeneland Auction House, (which is like our Tattersalls for those who don’t know).  In the preceding months I tried to raise a bidder in Newmarket.  Alas, there were no bidders, despite it having been designed carrying the racing colours of horses stabled here to promote the town.  The downturn in the economy was said to be to blame and no one has any spare money.  Despite the economy in the US also being on a downward slope, 74 of the 89 horses sold on the night if for substantially less than the 2000 auction.   I am delighted ‘Me & My Gal’ sold for $5000 to support charities and Arts in Lexington.  The foals will be sold later; at auction in 2011 with proceeds to be divided among each school's art program, Lexington's Youth Arts Council and related programs.

Newmarket Town Council have been inspired by Lexington’s Horse Mania project and preparations are underway to hold a smaller scale operation here. Besides sharing the Horse Mania experience and information for the life size models project, I was able to tell Cllr Joy Uney how the foals project had been introduced into the schools to involve the children in the excitement of the Equestrian Games.  Joy liked this idea and has run with it. The Schools in Newmarket are becoming involved and hopefully we will see lots of wonderful artwork in next year’s Festival.   I wish them fun and success with the project.

On 15th July 2010 the Horse Mania horses were put on the streets of Lexington, Kentucky to serve as public art for six months throughout the summer and the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. This has also served as a walking tour.   The response to the spectacle of 89 painted life size model horses is amazing. Everyone has their favourite.  

The horse I painted ‘Me and My Gal’ is displayed in Dudley Square with Lexington’s three other Sister Cities horses; from Deauville, France, County Kildare, Ireland, Shinhidaka, Japan. (Add photos below &  1. from –business, photos for web page folder)

Running concurrently with Horse Mania was a project called Horse Play, which gave school children an opportunity to create foals that were put on display at Lexington public library.  I saw a few of the completed foals before I left and they were very cute.

 

Horse Mania 2010, Lexington, Kentucky

In January I entered a competition advertised in the Newmarket Weekly News.  I submitted designs to be applied to the surface of a life size acrylic horse.  This was no normal horse.  Horse Mania previously took place in Lexington, Kentucky,’ The horse capital of the world’ in the year 2000.  It was so popular with the public that they have decided to open the corral again for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games later this year.  Horse Mania 2010 promises to be one of the largest auxiliary attractions to the Games, guaranteed to charm and delight a projected 600,000-plus visitors. There will be 79 horses decorated by artists; four of them are from Lexington Sister Cities, of which Newmarket is one. The horses will be placed on plinths all around the town on July 1st and remain there until December, when they will be auctioned at Keeneland. The KeenelandSales is the American Thoroughbred auction house at Keeneland Racecourse. The auction will generate funds to support local charities and Lexington's developing public art program.

The prize was to be flown to Lexington to paint the horse with my design, all expenses paid. I was delighted to be informed by the Newmarket Lexington Committee that I had won. As you can imagine, as an artist this is the type of dream we wish for. Our hosts were LexArts.  As both the area Arts Council and Arts Fund, LexArts provides a wide range of programs and services designed to integrate the arts into people’s daily lives.  I flew out with my art student daughter Amy and we were generously housed on the beautiful Calumet Farm. Calumet Farm has a record history of Kentucky Derby and Triple Crown winners and continues to be unmatched worldwide. A Kentucky artist, Anna Daniel Hall, kindly housed my horse and us in her studio at Artists Attic, Victorian Square, for the duration of the task. My design ‘Jockeys’ incorporates the racing silks of the owners with horses stabled in Newmarket and requires much attention to detail.  It took 180 hours to complete.

During the painting I was a point of great interest by other artists, the general public and even interviewed for a television program! It has been lovely to be valued for what I do.  Not until the horse was finished, did I become aware of the Icelandic Volcano Ash cloud that had stopped flights throughout Europe.  For us, the ash transpired to be heaven sent; we were forced to spend a third week exploring Kentucky, which fortunately is an extremely art orientated State and very interesting to explore. It has been an extraordinary experience and the kindness and hospitality of everyone we met was absolutely exceptional. 

Back in Newmarket , I have many ideas inspired by the trip.  If anyone is interested in commissioning me to paint a particular selection of silks, small through to very large or has any other idea they would like to discuss please contact me.