Animal Portraits

All images are copyright of the artist unless stated otherwise.

I was born in Barnsley in 1969.  As a child, drawing and painting always held a special interest for me.  I constantly drew horses and ponies - being utterly horse obsessed as a child and unfortunately allergic to them also, which only seemed to fuel this obsession!

After 6th form, I decided to pursue my interest in painting further, studying fine art at Newcastle University.  I graduated in 1992 and was one of 9 UK finalists to have their work chosen for exhibition in New York, USA.  Upon returning home, I decided to concentrate on animal portraiture, enjoying painting not only pets, but also all forms of portraiture and landscape, equestrian themes being my speciality.

In 2006 I was invited to exhibit a selection of my paintings in Dubai, at The International Horse Trade Fair in March 2007.

A ‘major event’ was been the birth of my first child, an adorable little girl, Lena Francesca Ann, in September 2006, who blessed me with the joys of motherhood, and the job of juggling the baby alongside a busy painting timetable – luckily she enjoyed watching her mother paint!

I not only paint horses, but am a fully qualified art teacher, judge at horse shows and compete on my homebred mare Iszara in dressage and Riding Club events.  That all means that I am familiar with a horse's conformation and action, which enables my paintings not only to convey a true likeness, but to also capture correct movement and the animal's individual character and presence.

My work is much in demand.  I have work in private collections throughout the UK and in Canada, the USA, Austria, Germany, the Arab Emirates, New Zealand and Australia, and exhibit my work regularly, in London with The Society of Equestrian Artists (I am an ‘Associate’ member) and across the Yorkshire region.

Paintings are worked from a selection of clear photographs, which are returned upon completion of the portrait.  If a number of animals are to be included in one painting, each animal can be painted from a separate photograph.  I can even make changes to the photos; removing collars, lifting up an ear or adding a special view as a background.  In fact I can tailor-make portraits to the customer's individual requirements.

Please see my web site www.animalfineart.co.uk or come and see me at my studio: The
Studio, Mount Pleasant, Cawthorne Lane, Kexborough. Barnsley. S75 5DY

I will be exhibiting at Sally Mitchell Fine Art in Tuxford, Nottingham from 25th Sept to 5th Oct.

Web Site: www.animalfineart.co.uk
eMail: arrkidd@yahoo.co.uk
Facebook: E J Lazenby Fine Art
Blog: Rantings, Ravings and Paintings