FAMOUS ARTISTNeil Cawthorne SEA

Horses have always played a large part in Neil’s life having ridden and drawn them for as long as he can remember.

In 1979 Neil became one of the founding fathers of the Society of Equestrian Artists (SEA), the equivalent to the Royal Academy in terms of equestrian art.  Over the years he has won many prizes for his work including the President’s Medal at the annual exhibition of the SEA at Christie’s.

For many years, Neil was commissioned annually by Seagram’s distillers during their sponsorship of The Grand National and subsequently Martell’s inaugural sponsorship to paint the winning horse to be presented to the winning connections.  While much of Neil’s work has been taken up with commissions, he still finds the inspiration of the racecourse, training grounds and hunting field as strong as ever, trying to convey the movement, atmosphere and excitement of the occasion in all his paintings.

In 1971 Neil was commissioned by the sporting Life to paint Mill Reef and Brigadier Gerard, two of the greatest racehorses of all time.  Solo exhibitions in the US and London swiftly followed.