"Girl on horseback”, Nothing better

With this work the Dutch artist Mirelle Vegers wants to take us back into a moment of her past when she was a child. Horses were a big part of her inner world, she always wanted to spend time with them, and she constantly admire their splendor.

 She would have climbed on any horse if she could. And she even did it once when she wasn't allowed, and no one was looking. She got caught and reprimanded for it but, in that moment, she was the happiest child on the earth. She was so focused on horses that she forgot to respect the rules.

At her home there was no money or space to keep a horse of her own and so is when she started drawing and painting horses. Finally, filling her world with horses and art, avoiding family problems.

She was constantly focused on the magical strokes of color: they made her feel alive and happy.

 The reference for creating this artwork was a painting of the equestrian portrait of Ferdinando de' Medici painted by Justus Sustermans, (1597 - 1681), depicting the bond between a child and his horse.

Mirelle’s style is a combination of old and new, influenced by the Old Masters, and combining it with contemporary techniques, creating a close to photorealistic style.

 After researching children being depicted with horses in art, looking at the period of reference and the challenge description, Mirelle concluded that a more classic approach would be in order.

Mirelle Vegers is a Dutch artist with a creative spirit and self-taught artist with a fascination for horses. Best described as a vibrant hurricane of creative energy!

Mirelle’s drive and passion for her art can be felt in every brush stroke off her work. Her knowledge about her subjects, the years of experience and the pleasant-open way of communicating is appreciated by her clients.

Few years ago, Mirelle realized as ambition to make art her professional career. In 2011, with the arrival of her son, she specialized more on horses.

Mirelle gives her own contemporary signature touch to the tried and tested techniques of the ‘Old Masters’. Light and dark interplay, the use of paint and the smooth surfaces of her canvas can sometimes trick the viewer into thinking they are gazing at a real horse.

Mirelle's starting point is not to paint photo-realistic, but she wants to use feelings, full understanding her subject. Her dream is to combine her professional training as a graphic designer and her painter's eye, cretaing talent and art.

 Mirelle Vegers, 1975, Dutch.                

www.mirellevegers.com

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Girl on horseback’. Medium: Paintings and drawings .Oil sketch on wood panel, 20 x 30 cm. Mirelle Vegers is a member of the  Paard Verzameld Collective.

Through an international collaboration between Paard Verzameld and the Horse Museum Foundation, the painting will be exhibited during the Pratoni del Vivaro World Championships in September 2022.