1518 The ‘Punches (Heavy Horses—Suffolk Punch)

Artist Code: 1518. Completed 31 August 2021. Original water colour and gold acrylic ink. Aquarelle Arches 140lb 100% cotton rag paper, 12″ x 16″. [Prints available]

Resource photographs for this artwork (and Artist Code 1517) were taken at the Soham Ploughing Championships 2013 by my husband, David. In the spring of 2015, I produced two line drawings of Shire horses and Suffolk Punches on tracing paper to transfer on to good water colour paper and then paint them. However, I received several commissions and typesetting jobs soon after sketching, so these two artworks were “filed” to be completed at a later date. In September of 2015 I had chance of a stand at the Suffolk Horse Society Spectacular at Elveden so hurriedly scanned the two sketches and made some sepia coloured canvas prints and cards, of which I sold quite a few on the day.

Having totally forgotten about the drawings until July 2021, when seeking inspiration, I delved into my “sketchbook suitcase” and rediscovered them. I felt it was time to complete the two paintings, primarily in water colour, but with black and gold ink.

A Calendar Poem (Tilling Turf and Nature’s Mirth, October 2022):

With gorgeous creamy flowing mane
The Suffolk Punch a breed of fame
With chunky, stubby legs so strong
When pulling plough, they won’t go wrong
This smallest kind of heavy horse
Gets on with it and tills the course
So farmer Joe can sow his corn
Then grow and reap at harvest’s dawn