As we race towards the end of January, I’m counting down the days until my first Cheltenham Festival as the racecourse’s artist in residence! This residency is something that I’ve dreamt about for so long, so I’m making sure to enjoy every moment of it! The artist-in-residence position was something Cheltenham had, I believe around 10 years ago, and the role has been revived especially for me. That is completely amazing, a little bit scary and, of course, the most incredible opportunity! I count myself so lucky to spend time there painting the beautiful racehorses and sharing my bespoke portraits with the racing community.
The residency grants me access to every corner of Cheltenham – something I really wanted! Other artists book spots in the shopping village, but I didn’t want to be tied to just that area. I want to be able to sketch and paint being inspired by what’s right in front of me, and that means tracking down horses! I’m in my element out in the racecourse, absorbing the scenes in front of me, snapping photographs and taking advantage of the amazing freedom this residency offers me. The Festival in March is Cheltenham’s biggest, busiest meet of all so I’m planning, emailing and scheming like mad.
My first race day as Cheltenham’s artist in residence was back in October and I’ve been experimenting different locations ever since. My aim is to balance meeting racegoers, owners and trainers to show them my art, with time spent soaking up the inspiration and atmosphere of the day. So far, I’ve based myself in the lobby of the beautiful Princess Royal Stand, I’ve wandered in the rain with my sketchbook, I’ve set up shop in the paddock (which resulted in some gorgeous sketches, if I may say so myself) and I’ve had a stand in the shopping village! Some things have worked well, and other times it’s been more of a washout. Seeing watercolour paint sliding off the page and onto my clothes in the rain was definitely the latter…!
Not set in stone yet, but for the festival itself, I’m planning to take up a spot in the Cheltenham Racecourse Hall of Fame and bringing a huge 6ft by 4ft canvas with me to work on over the four days. The idea at the moment is a big action piece but this could evolve over the coming weeks! I know people love to see live demos of my work and painting this piece is going to be incredibly special. I’ve chosen it because it’s such an accessible spot and somewhere everyone can visit, not just people with certain badges and passes! I really hope people will love being able to come and see the piece in the morning and then swing by again later to see the progress made. It would be amazing if I can get the TV presenters interested in the piece and if they could film it once or twice during the festival – here’s hoping!
As I write this Cheltenham has just passed an inspection for Festival Trials Day on Saturday, so I have another opportunity to scout things out and show people my art. I still get goosebumps every time I park my car (nice and close to the heart of the action thanks to being there much earlier the racegoers), walk up to the iconic grandstand and slip through the metal gates into the course. It’s quiet, the countryside around the course looks spectacular and the feeling of anticipation building through the morning is so special. The roar that goes up when the first race of the festival goes off is one of the most spine-tingling noises in racing, and I’ll make sure I’m out there on the course to hear it in March. If you’re coming along on any of the four days, then make sure you pop in to say hello! If you’re not able to make it but fancy seeing what a day at Cheltenham is like for the artist in residence, then keep an eye on my social media pages…
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