HX Magazine 2024 | Edition 2

DAVID TRUNDLEY
PAINTS HORSES IN
A DIFFERENT LIGHT
There is something magical about the artwork that
David Trundley creates. Whether or not you are a racing
enthusiast, the horses that flow from his paintbrush are
captured in such a light that it draws you in. This artist has a
gift for making ordinary equestrian scenes look extraordinary.
Therefor we shine a light on David Trundley's paintings in this
year's 'In Pictures' article.
At the honorable age of 75, David Trundley is still as sharp as the pencils he
uses to sketch. The softspoken and gentle Englishman vividly remembers the
days when he started painting and how he was able to craft a formidable career
out of his talent. "I do not come from a horsey family", the artist begins his story.
"I grew up in a town called March in Cambridgeshire, after which my parents
moved to Cambridge. This was fairly close to the well-known racecourse of
Newmarket and the area is fully geared towards horses, there are thoroughbred
stables everywhere."
"I left school having studied art at A-level. I just painted for fun. Firstly flowers,
but after a while anything that made a good subject. Then I came into contact
with horses, thanks to my brother-in-law. He encouraged me to join him at a
local riding school and I took some lessons. I was never going to be a top
jockey and so the adventure went from learning to ride horses to developing
a fascination watching them on the racetrack and painting them on a canvas."
'I did not bet, I got sold on racing instead'
The Newmarket racecourse setting intrigued David and he started visiting on a
regular basis. "This was still mostly during the holidays, in between my studies
at university to become a country planner. When I was 21, I went to my first
real meeting or race if you call it, named the '2000 Guineas Stakes'. It is a
flat race open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. That is when I
really got sold on it." Not the excitement of the races, the betting or the crowds
and atmosphere fueled David's fascination. It was the horses. "They were like
nothing I'd ever seen before. I made real efforts to learn how to paint them well
and grew to love them along the way."
This painting is from
David's favorite spot:
in between the trees
at the Chantilly forest.
From planner to painter
"In the early nineties my artwork was sold in small galleries in Somerset,
England. I worked as a planner and painted whenever I could. I didn't think my
art would be displayed in big cities like London one day or make it all the way
across the pond. When I got in contact with Claude Berry of the Tryon Gallery
that changed, and it also changed my life completely. They loved my work and
sold eight pieces in the first week. It was a real springboard and eventually
enabled me to become a full-time artist."
38 | In pictures
In pictures | 39