Ripley, whose impressive CV includes grand car marques and celebrity portraits, has recently transferred his skills to the equine form and in particular to thoroughbred racehorses. He creates large-scale artworks accomplished through the use of extremely high resolution digital photography combined with extensive work in post-production. Using these techniques he is able to combine both the reality that photography achieves along with the freedom to compose the image as would a traditional artist.
The resulting imagery not only references classical equine art, but looks to the future using cutting-edge techniques. In the large canvases, every hair and muscle formation can be seen in minute detail. The uniqueness of his imagery lies in its improbable yet believable reality, where the horse and the environment are absolutely “real”, rather than an artistic “interpretation” of a racehorse as is the case with more traditional forms of horse portraiture.
At the exhibition Ripley will be showcasing 14 large-scale artworks, and will include an exclusive and as yet unseen portrait of one of the greatest National Hunt Racehorses of recent times, Big Bucks.
The exhibition is free of charge to visit, open between 10am-4pm.