Inside a Private Equestrian Art Commission
A private commission begins long before anything is placed on the studio wall. It begins with a conversation: what the horse means to the collector, which moments feel most truthful, and where the finished work will ultimately live.
The goal is not simply to reproduce a photograph. It is to create an original work with its own physical presence—one that holds the energy, discipline and quiet tension found between horse and rider.
The Starting Image
Every commission begins with reference material. Sometimes that is a single photograph with an unmistakable sense of movement. In other cases, several images are considered before one reveals the posture, gesture or moment that should carry the work.
I look for more than a recognizable likeness. The angle of the head, the set of the ears, the distribution of weight and the smallest tension through the reins can say more than an overtly dramatic image. Those details become the emotional structure of the piece.
From Image to Object
My process moves between digital and analog methods. The selected image is interpreted, separated and printed across individual six-inch panels. Those panels are cut, adhered and stitched together before the surface is further disrupted through acrylic polymer, abrasion, marking and other interventions.
The visible seams are intentional. They interrupt the certainty of the photograph and allow the image to exist as something constructed rather than merely captured. From a distance, the horse resolves with clarity. At closer range, the surface reveals shifts, imperfections and evidence of the hand.
The image is not erased. It is re-coded.
Scale, Placement and Presence
Scale is considered in relation to both the subject and the environment. A commission may need to command a large architectural wall, create intimacy within a more restrained room or hold its own alongside significant furniture and
/materials.
For that reason, placement is part of the conversation from the beginning. Photographs and dimensions of the intended space help determine proportion, orientation and visual weight. The finished work should feel inevitable in the room—not decorative, but present.
Color is approached with similar restraint. The palette may respond subtly to the horse, the rider or the interior, but it should never overwhelm the character of the image. The strongest decisions are often the quietest ones.
A Collaborative Process
A commission is personal, but it is not prescriptive. The collector provides the history, reference material and context that make the work meaningful. I bring the visual interpretation, material process and judgment required to transform those elements into a singular piece.
Key decisions are discussed early: the reference image, scale, orientation and intended placement. Once the direction is established, the work is allowed to evolve through the studio process. That balance creates something more enduring than a literal translation of a photograph.
One Original Work
Each commission is created as a one-of-one original. The stitched panels, surface variations and physical interventions cannot be duplicated. The finished piece carries both the identity of the horse and the record of how it was made.
My work is held in private collections internationally, including the collection of Olympic dressage champion Carl Hester. I accept a limited number of commissions so that each work receives the attention, time and considered development the process requires.
Discuss a Private Commission
If you are considering an original work for a private collection, equestrian property or considered interior, I welcome a conversation about the horse, the space and what the commission might become.