Page 2 - OSG: Nichola Eddery: Making Paces

Nichola Eddery Making Paces

‘Making Paces’ is a series of works capturing the essence of my most recent creative All illustrated works are available for sale
Journey: a highly personal exploration of the thoroughbred race horse captured and on receipt of the catalogue, further works
enriched by the perspective I have achieved through my intensive classical education
as a ?ne artist, and my own academic pursuits within that ?eld. will be available at the exhibition

My journey began in the summer of 2014 in Civita Castellana, Italy, where I undertook
intense landscaping tutelage under the esteemed Israel Hershberg, and it was within
this painter’s paradise that I began to touch upon the profound wealth of knowledge
and understanding available to the contemporary artist through a relationship with
the Old Masters and nature. Making continuous studies of their work, and through the
observation of the landscape I realised the importance of geometry as the key
component in a successful composition, and this for me, was a new and incredibly
illuminating territory to explore. Instead of my excitement and pace of discovery
drawing to a close on my leaving Italy, I brought it home with me, and continued my
pursuit of the Old Masters with no less zeal, devoting myself to working with
compositions from Da Vinci, Del Sarto, Pontormo, Rubens, Stubbs, Ingres, Corot,
Degas and Munnings. This period of learning was intense, but rewarding; I felt a new
sense of con?dence in my craft and was eager to begin the next chapter of work.

Narrowing down a direction for a solo show is never an easy task, however, clarity
came to me after spending time at the National Stud, on the Newmarket Heath, The
Rowley Mile Racecourse, the Munnings' Museum and London Museums that
continued to inspire compositions for my new collection. Many of the works in my
show are derived from my time spent at the National Stud; to directly observe foals,
yearlings and mares in their natural surroundings is fascinating. I was also greatly
inspired to compose compositions after spending many hours drawing from ‘The
Horseman from the West Frieze of the Parthenon’ and the ‘Head of the Horse of
Selene’ at the British Museum.

While I was piecing the puzzle of my collection together, life hit me with a sudden
blow; my father passed away in November 2015, and to celebrate his life and amazing
achievements I decided to create two tribute paintings to incorporate in my show;
the ?rst tribute painting is of Grundy – the horse who father won his ?rst Derby and
King George V1 & Elizabeth Stakes, and the second painting is a representation of his
14 English classic wins. Paintings are perhaps not enough to express what my father
meant to me, but hopefully they will represent the love and heroism that beheld him.

cover: Spiralling Colts
oil on canvas on board, 26 x 40 ins