Georgea Blakey

"Whenever I am at the races or watching it on television, like most ordinary punters, it is the name of a horse, not its form,  that will make me put a few quid each way on it.  Often it can be quite amusing to get one over on the professionals when a horse like WITCH HUNTER comes in at 100-1 over the favourite that, on paper, should have won easily. Whatever the horses are called, whichever 18 characters are used- is what sets my imagination alight. I see these beautiful race horses as galloping silhouettes filled with the images that their name conjures up in mind’s eye. They are comprised of the hopes and dreams of not only me but those of the trainer, the jockey, indeed all of the ‘connections’ who have put in so much hard work to get it to the race track that day. I often use the colours of the jockey silks of the owners to influence my compositions too.  A horse called Desert Orchid? I immediately think of an arrangement of classic white orchids galloping through a barren landscape.  A horse called Warhol? Well of course it must be constructed from the pop icon images of the greatest deconstructor of them all, Andy Warhol.  I am excited about this fresh and innovative approach to immortalising racehorses in art." ​Georgea Blakey