IN the grounds of Sir Alfred Munnings’ buttercup-yellow former home, Castle House in Essex, you might spot a perfectly staged World War I tableau, with immaculately behaved cavalry horses standing patiently with soldiers on board.
On another day it could be Gus, with his Romany caravan and fire burning. Or perhaps a hunter from yesteryear being ridden side-saddle, the habit hanging with the same serene elegance as Munnings’ 1930s snapshot of his wife Violet outside his home. But each time, the artists – beadily looking on, brush or pencil in hand – have the same fiendishly difficult task: capturing the horse in question.
Munnings made the feat look easy, each twitching muzzle or rippling hindquarter captured to perfection. And now there are courses dotted across the country and throughout the year dedicated to teaching hopefuls how to paint and draw horses.
“We really just want to encourage people to come and have a go at whatever level,” says Jenny Hand, director at the Munnings Art Museum, which runs its annual “Paint Up” workshops with the staged tableaux for three consecutive days.
