|
Biography Page
Pace Maker Magazine Article - Abbey Walmsley
YOUNG AND HAPPY TO BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL
by Emma Collins
With a work schedule sometimes exceeding 90hrs a week Abbey Walmsley, recent winner of a Society of Equestrian Artistsaward, rarely lets her feet touch the ground. Emma Collin’s caught up with her ahead of an artists residency posting in British Columbia Canada.
If determination and hard work are pivots of success ten it won’t be long before Abbey Walmsley has the Art World at her feet. At 23 she has already held two solo exhibitions in the past year; the first a selection of racing paintings at Palace House, Newmarket, following a stint with Henry Cecil at Warren Place. More recently she has turned her attention to the polo set, and her work in this field has been on show at The Royal Berkshire Polo Club in Ascot.
‘It’s been a passion with me for a long time,’ Abbey said. ‘I’ve been exhibiting since I was about 14 at national and regional exhibitions. I continued to produce my art whilst I was doing a degree in English Literature at Lancaster University with the idea of having enough work to stage an exhibition at the end of my course. I felt like I was holding down two jobs at once: my art business and my degree.’
Despite not studying art full-time at university, she regularly entered competitions and, at 18, was short listed from thousands of entrants in the Young Artists Britian Competition organised by HRH The Prince of Wales, himself a keen painter.She has ridden most of her life, specialising in training problem horses, though her introduction to the racing world came quite by chance.
She explained, ‘ I sold my first painting called Cold Feet – of a Tiger in the snow – to Fred Fogg. His sister worked with Henry Cecil and she arranged for me to go to Warren Place for a few days. Through this connection I ended up having my first exhibition in Newmarket.
A meeting with Simon Hayes of the BBA resulted in a commission to paint a 6’ x 4’ canvas called ‘Race of the Century,’ featuring 13 of the best racehorses of the last century competing in a fictitious race at Newmarket, which she describes as ‘the most challenging thing I have ever done, I stayed up half the night for weeks to get it finished.’
Her most recent accolade is to have waltzed away with a prize at the annual exhibition of the Society of Equestrian Artists (SEA) in her first year of membership.
(Above) The Portrait of Lammtarra that won Wamsley the Society of Amateur Artists’ Prize for best work by a friend of SEA.
The summer show at Christies is the highlight of the year for SEA. Its 400 or so members are invited to submit work for the showcase, with the final selection chosen by a panel and awards in 12 categories presented on the opening night. Society Chairman Caro Skyrme said: ‘We’ve had a brilliant year. We had record sales and record attendance, with over 1,000 people through the door in just five days.’
Walmsley’s painting of Lammtarra’s King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Dimond Stakes Victory, which was responsible for her SEA prize, will now be heading off with the artist to Kentucky. She is the guest of the Thoroughbred Owners’ and Breeders’ Association at it’s annual awards dinner on September 7, where three of her pieces will be auctioned.
The Dorset based painter is hoping that this brief stay in North America will become more permanent. Later in the year she will head to Canada to take up artist’s residency in Atlin, British Columbia. She plans to follow this up with a spell in 2003 at another residency in Connecticut, where she will be close to the racing scene in New York.
She has a phenomenal work ethic, estimating that she puts in between 75 – 92hrs per week on her painting starting each morning at 7.30. In addition to this as a talented biker and duathlete, she trains for 2 hours a day either running or cycling, and harbours a serious ambition to qualify for the Commonwealth Games in fours years time. Abbey Walmsley doesn’t sit still for very long. Catch her if you can.
For more information on Abbey Walmsley Fine Art visit: www.abbeywalmsley.com
| 