Susan Crawford

Equestrian and portrait artist Susan Crawford was born in the Scottish district of East Lothian. Her father was a racehorse trainer and she grew up on the family farm, inheriting her parent's affinity with horses and the countryside and learning toride when she was only a toddler.

She spent two years at the Florentine drawing school of Signorini Nera Simi but is an entirely self-taught painter, using a classical old master technique of applying oil in thin glazes. Her main inspiration has come from the works of the classical horse painters George Stubbs and Sir Alfred Munnings.

Crawford lived for a time in the Middle East but has now returned to southern England, where she paints and indulges in her favourite pastimes: horse-racing, dogs, birds and shopping for antiques.

Susan Crawford has exhibited at a number of distinguished galleries throughout the world, including The National Portrait Gallery, The Royal Academy of Arts and the Tryon Gallery.

Amongst her many fine works, Crawford has painted 21Epsom Derby winners as well as some of the all-time favourite steeple chasers such including Red Rum, Arkle and Desert Orchid.

Despite her high profile as a painter of horses, she is also a well established portrait artist. She has painted five members of the British Royal family, including HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, HM The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales, as well as HH The Sultan of Brunei and HM The Sultan of Oman.

Crawford has had many highly successful shows at the TryonGallery, from 1969 – 2001 which has led to a continuous string of commissions for the past decade.