Here’s a question for you - have you ever visited to the Dublin Horse Show? No? Neither had I up to last August when I attended for the first time not knowing what to expect. I went with my sister Linda and her friend Natashia. The ladies are horse crazy so they wanted to get there early so I was a bit worried that I might get ‘horsed out’ by 1pm… but the Show really blew me away. It was such a fun day out with lots to see and miles of RDS to walk around. I'm definitely hooked!
The scale of the event is incredible and there is something for everyone from show jumping, boutiques, fine art, fashion, food and all things equestrian. First held in 1864 the Horse Show has become a Dublin institution and a real celebration of Ireland’s affinity with the horse. This year the Horse Show will be taking over the RDS in Dublin from 8th to 12th of August and is set to attract tens of thousands of people from Ireland and all over the world.
Dabble in Art @ the Dublin Horse Show
After visiting for one day last year, I decided to dive straight in and take a stand in the Art Hall at this year’s Show! GULP. I'm so excited to be joining a host of amazing artists and it will be brilliant to be able to soak up the atmosphere over the 5 days of the event. In preparation for the Show I’ve been working on lots of new work including this pastel painting of a beautiful grey horse. This piece is called ‘Vermillion’ and it is one of two new pastel paintings I have created for the Horse Show.
This piece was inspired by the series of horses I painted last summer for a show called ‘Titanium’. The show celebrated the stunning Spanish Lipizzaner Stallions and focused on the anatomy of this stunning breed. I really enjoyed adapting my watercolour style for pastel by leaving elements of the painting unfinished for the viewer to interpret. I’ve also been playing with collage and drawing this year, and I think this experimentation inspired me to create really strong, bold contrasts by using intense bright backgrounds for the paintings.
I’ll also be exhibiting tons of new watercolour paintings featuring cows, cockerels, foxes, bears, dogs and of course lots of horses. As well as paintings, I will also be launching my brand new range of silk scarves featuring some of my original equine paintings and in support of the ISPCA - more to come on this in the coming days!
Win Tickets to the Horse Show
Say Hello!
So, if you decide to visit this year’s Horse Show you are sure to have an awesome day. If you do visit please drop by my stand (R9) in the Art Hall to say hello. I will be attending every day so call by anytime.
Right, I better get back to the preparations. Thank you for all your support and chat to you soon!
Gill xx