Announcing Lesley Humphrey as the 2025 Race Day Artist
Lesley Humphrey, a British-born equine artist and educator based primarily in Texas, USA, is renowned for her expressive and emotionally charged depictions of horses. Her work blends elements of realism with abstraction, aiming to channel energy, emotion, and metaphoric storytelling through her art.
A Dynamic Style of Expression
Raised in Wigan, Lancashire, Lesley’s love for horses emerged early—she spent her youth riding ponies across the Pennine hills and captured them in sketches and clay models. Lesley’s style is a dynamic mix of abstract expressionism and realism, infused with the physicality and spirit of horses. She often paints with vigor, using a variety of media—watercolor, oil, acrylic, and charcoal—with the same intent: to evoke life’s emotional energy. Humphrey sees herself not merely as an illustrator of horses, but as someone who paints energy—the horse serves as a metaphor for silent strength, emotional presence, and visceral motion.
A Philosophy of Teaching and Art
Her influence extends to teaching, in her words:
“I believe that we can all learn how to paint, but it is in the silent, authentic, beautiful recesses of our hearts and souls where a true masterpiece is born. True artistic skill, the courage to interpret the images of that place and bring them into the world for you to experience is my goal. Helping you to find that place within yourself is my vocation.”
Capturing a Steeplechase Legacy
About this year’s poster painting entitled Montpelier Generations, Lesley says, “In 2024 I was invited to paint an image to commemorate 90 years of the Montpelier Steeplechase. In that hallowed landscape drenched in sunshine, I was overjoyed to be inspired by those beautiful horses in the sport you love. Back in my studio the memories that loomed large from that glorious event were the stories you told with smiles on your faces and children in your hands, of grandparents and great grandparents attend these races; of horses and farms, of legacies and hopes for the future . . .May you have a glorious day at The Montpelier Hunt Races this year!” For more information about Lesley, visit her website here.
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