Tuesday 2nd October 2007
Chris Winch announced as the winner of Shadwell Stallion Brochure Art Competition
A painting by Chris Winch has been selected as the winning piece of art in the 2007 Shadwell Stallion Brochure Art Competition and will appear on the front cover of the 2008 Stallion Brochure, published in November 2007.
The annual Shadwell Stallion Brochure is a key component in the marketing mix of Shadwell as a stud facility and detailing the individual stallions. The brochure outlines the services ofShadwell and each stallion in depth as a racehorse and his current status as a stallion.
The brochure is a highly prestigious item of design and print using the best quality images and reproduction techniques to reflect the quality of stallions as well as the care and services offered by Shadwell. Every year 2,500 copies are produced and sent out to owners, breeders, trainers and other members of the bloodstock community.
The Judges were delighted with the thought andoriginality that Chris had put in to the pieceto create a completely unique piece of Art.Chris explains the inspiration from when hevisited Shadwell and collected sand from the covering yard and got a feel for the stud.
"I treated the canvas with the fibre sand and wood shavingson which the mares are kept in the looseboxes to illustrate howShadwell care for the mares. I added sand from the gallops at Newmarket where the stallions, mares and their progeny may well have exercised. I was inspired bya photo (Green Desert) as a basis for the pose of a stallion obviously feeling a bit fresh but looking fit and full of spirit. I have not tried to copy the features exactly but just capture that spirit and joy for life. I applied the paint almost exclusively with a palette knife and sponge. (It didn’t exclusively just go on the canvas though, and as usual it was difficult to tell where I finished and the painting started!)"
After a career in the design and publishing world as an illustrator and Art Director Chris Winch returned to his first love of painting. Having always enjoyed the textures of the natural world and the sculptural qualities of horses and running dogs, Chris is inspired by the cave paintings of early man and the friezes of ancient civilisations. He aims to combine these loves by portraying the spirit of the animals using impasto techniques on canvases prepared with locally sourced materials, like sand, chalk, sawdust and brick dust.
He uses acrylic and emulsion paints for their fast drying qualities, which keeps the freshness of the painting, and Chris work exclusively in the open air – even in winter!
Chris has had work selected for exhibitions with the Society of Equestrian Artists, exhibitions at The National Stud, The Horse racing Museum and at the Tourist office, as well as at exhibitions around East Anglia. All Chris’ work is original and he never sells prints of his work. His main contacts are through Country and Agricultural shows where Chris enjoys talking directly to the buyers of his work and can also arrange commissions on a personal basis. For more information about Chris’ work please view his website at http://www.dawinchy.co.uk
The winning piece can be seen at the Society of Equestrian Artists’ Autumn Exhibition at Palace House in Newmarket from Thursday 4th – Saturday 20th October 2007. Please call 01638 720 499 for further details.
