One of the country’s best-known equine artists used lockdown to reacquaint himself with his love of sculpture, with his Charolais bull and bovine bronze sculptures drawing particular interest.
John Fitzgerald from Kilcloon in Meath, found inspiration in the local landscape and farm animals.
“I studied industrial design in college in the 90s and did a lot of sculpture then. During lockdown, I went out into the field with a bit of clay and started creating a sculpture of the cattle sitting in front of me,” said John.
A sculpture of a Charolais bull in an edition of nine that took around 20 days to create, attracted immense interest from the farming community and beyond. He also featured bulls that he had seen on a trip to Malaga a few years ago.
John, who is the artist-in-residence at The Curragh racecourse, said he started out painting cattle. “Anything to do with cattle resonates for a lot of people in Ireland,” he said.
“I got a huge reaction to the cow and bull sculptures and they can be used indoors or as garden pieces.”
Having spent almost a decade in the family property business in Ratoath, he decided it was time to follow his dream and become a full-time artist.
“I painted all the time since leaving college and became quite well known among owners and trainers for my equine art. I painted cattle too from time to time, as we often had them on our land at home.”
John’s sculptures are available in the Kilcock art gallery and Wilton gallery, Sandycove, Co. Dublin. He hopes to stage an exhibition of his horse racing paintings and sculptures in the Wilton gallery in the autumn.