Lionel Edwards 

1878-1966

Britain

 

Lionel Edwards is an equine artist best known for his fabulous hunt scenes. Lionel Edwards grew up in Benarth, Conway, North Wales and was the son of a doctor.

His future seemed to be the army, but soon realized that that his talent did not go in that direction. Soon afterward, he went to London,  A.S. Cope and later at the Heatherley School of Fine Art and Frank Calderon‘s School of Animal Painting to study art further. He became the youngest member of the London Sketch Club at the age of nineteen. In 1905, he married Ethel Wells and the couple moved out of London to Radley, in Oxfordshire, and later to Worcestershire, before moving back to Benarth. They both were enthusiastic fox hunters. during his life, Lionel Edwards hunted with almost every pack in the country. That must have been lots of fun!

He was an accomplished horseman, but once while on a hunt, he wanted to take a big fence in one of the fields but , the horse decided  to go off to the gate and the two of them departed. After that, he sketched himself falling off in his Leicestershire Sketch Book !

He  would always start his stories with “I must tell you about a funny thing that happened…. then he would start laughing himself. Some of his friends used to say about him, ” He loved to paint skies, He could do it so quickly”. One man went to one of his openings just to see “Lionel Edwards skies”!

He would always paint outdoors and had his easel and   sketchbook with him.He  even painted in a car when the weather was very bad!

He knew about the hunting countries of the British Isles better  then any other living man, Having hunted  them  and  and painting them all his life. His friend Captain Jack Gilbey wrote of him, “here was a genius “. Another friend, Kathleen Aldridge  said that he was a great artist and had lovable personalty,  will be come more appreciated and sought as the years go by.~

Lionel Edwards also was an author, publishing and  illustrating almost 30 of his own books, and illustrated many more.

 

Here’s some beautiful paintings by Lionel Edwards! Enjoy~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you all enjoyed today’s post!!

Shya