Wednesday sees the London opening of Foals and Fables, a joint exhibition by friends from the racing world, Lambourn artists Jessica Hills and Rose Osborn.
The show at The Osborne Studio Gallery in Belgravia features 20 new works, exploring the interwoven connections of humans, animals, and storytelling, seen through two distinct but connected artistic voices.
Both artists share a deep connection to horses and the Lambourn landscape, though their expressions take different paths: Jessica Hills grounding herself in the living, breathing presence of the mare and foal; Rose Osborn in the myth, memory, and imagination that animals inspire.
Jessica, the late John Hill’s daughter and grand-daughter of the late Barry Hills, was raised in Lambourn’s Valley of the Racehorse, paints mares and foals with an eye shaped by both her upbringing in the racing world and her recent experiences of motherhood.
Her paintings explore the psyche of the horse, combining a deep understanding of equine anatomy with a mix of exquisite detail and impressionistic flair.
“I feel a deep connection to my heritage when I paint thoroughbreds.” says Jessica. “Choosing mares and foals for this exhibition has allowed me to reflect on my experiences of being a mother at the same time as remembering myself as a child.”
Rose, who is based in Lambourn and worked in hoseracing for 14 years, turns to the rich symbolism of animal fables, weaving folklore and imagination into striking, symbolic compositions.
With bold palettes, texture, and influences from folk art and textiles, her work transforms colour and shape into a visual language that reflects universal truths about the human experience.
“Colour has become central to how I paint, I love how one transforms beside another,” she says. “Reading Aesop’s Fables gave me a way to bring animals, people, and storytelling together.”
The Osborne Studio Gallery has long been at the heart of London’s equestrian and sporting art scene, while also championing figurative, landscape, and bronze sculpture.
Take a look at Rose and Jessica’s exhibition works here https://www.osg.uk.com/artists/jessica-hills-rose-osborn/
The show continues to December 23.
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