Celebrating the Horse
By Richard Thackham
Original artworks
Oil on canvas
Framed
In order as above:
Four Gold Buttons - £2750Framed size: H: 74cm x W: 69cm
Through the Unseen - £1450
framed size: H: 65cm x W: 53cm
Quiet Resilience - £495
Framed size: H: 40cm x W: 35cm approx
Richard is new to the gallery for summer 2025, with this small selection from his current collection focused on the dynamism and energy of horses.
Each image takes some of his clever photography-derived montage layering and translates the technique into the medium of oil paint to suggest the movement and grace of horses, whether wild or tamed.
He prefers to clarify his thought process before approaching the canvas. Once this is established, he works directly to the canvas - no underdrawings. Using a fluid and expressive technique, along with a thoughtfully selected colour palette, his goal is to capture the strength, vitality and elegance of the animals he loves.
The layered compositions have flashes of vivid acrylic colour underneath that show through into the top layer of oil paint, all painted in a wet-on-wet style (alla prima).
Four Gold Buttons' title comes from the four round marks of deep gold paint illustrating three buttons on the jacket and one on the boot of the rider. It's a typically strong, yet sensitive, image in an impressionistic style, with strong brush strokes and a striking subject — a saddled horse with a dissolving rider, set against a layered, abstract background
ABOUT RICHARD THACKHAM
Richard Thackham was born in Buckinghamshire and now lives and work in Gloucestershire. He is an experienced commercial photographer, dedicating the past four decades to running his own company and attracting numerous prestigious clients.
Now he has returned to his first love of painting, a passion he has had as far back as he can remember.
His artistic style has undergone considerable transformation over the years, yet his commitment to the craft of oil paint and equine subjects has remained.
Recently, he has begun experimenting with mixed media, allowing him to create layered compositions that are completed with oil paint. He is currently focused on producing exquisite works centred around the horse.