Beth Munnings-Winter ~

Today’s artist is Beth Munnings-Winter, a relative of Sir Alfred Munnings!! I am a big fan of his excellent work and was so excited to find Beth!! She does such stunning work too! I contacted her and just heard back from her today. This is part of what what she said in her reply back to me:

” Not only am I a relative of Sir Alfred’s, I am also a huge fan and a scholar of his work. I go over to England every year and scout out “Munnings Places”, so that I’ve had the privilege of behind-the-scenes tours at Castle House, at Mendham Mill, where he was born, and most recently, I rented his studio in Lamorna, Cornwall this past May. I climbed Zennor Hill to find the exact places from which he painted so many of those iconic hunting scenes. In fact, I’ve found many of the places where he painted in both East Anglia and Cornwall. I have my trip planned for April ’16 already – it’s to be Exmoor, and I have an invitation to visit his cottage there, where he lived when Castle House was requisitioned during WW II. I will be painting Exmoor Ponies there, as he did!”

And Here Is her Bio From Her Blog She Let Me Use!

As I’m a relative of the wonderful equine artist, Sir Alfred Munnings, both art and horses have always come to me as a integral part of life, in general.
The broader canvas of life, with all its nuances of color and light and form, and the delight of the living creatures and landscape around us have proven to be my additional inspiration.

Not only am I a relative of Sir Alfred’s, I am also a huge fan and a scholar of his work. I go over to England every year and scout out “Munnings Places”, so that I’ve had the privilege of behind-the-scenes tours at Castle House, at Mendham Mill, where he was born, and most recently, I rented his studio in Lamorna, Cornwall this past May. I climbed Zennor Hill to find the exact places from which he painted so many of those iconic hunting scenes. In fact, I’ve found many of the places where he painted in both East Anglia and Cornwall. I have my trip planned for April ’16 already – it’s to be Exmoor, and I have an invitation to visit his cottage there, where he lived when Castle House was requisitioned during WW II. I will be painting Exmoor Ponies there, as he did!

Growing up with a dad and sisters who rode, I enjoyed an early introduction to equine culture. Having pursued the company of horses from early childhood lessons to showing hunters, field hunting, eventing and dressage, I’m most recently a pony club mom and eventing groom for our daughter.

My family also had an interest in art, with both parents dabbling in oils, and a dad who enjoyed sculpting. I had a crayon or pencil in my hand and was making pictures of the things I loved from a very early age; blank sheets of paper were at a premium in our household. Several Sir Alfred Munnings prints hung on the walls of my childhood home, not only out of pride in our famous relative, but also because we admired his skill and loved the subject matter: the splash of hunting pinks across a bleak November landscape, dappled yellow light falling on the coats of gypsy ponies in shady groves, the ripple of muscle and explosive power of racehorses before the start, and all the lovely English landscapes.

Sir Alfred Munnings (1877-1959) was the one-eyed son of a miller, who ascended to dizzying artistic heights as president of the Royal Academy of Art, and whose paintings now fetch millions at auction and hang in some of the finest collections in the world. I’m descended from Sir Alfred’s uncle Benjamin, who immigrated to Canada. I’ve always felt a special kinship with Sir Alfred because of our common love of art, of horses and dogs, poetry, literature and music, and of the English countryside. Sir Alfred and Lady Violet corresponded with the Canadian cousins, and greeted them at Castle House, their home in Dedham, Essex (now open to the public as an art gallery). I still enjoy regular visits to Castle House, devour anything written about Sir Alfred or by him, and endlessly study his effortless technique. I’m awaiting the release of a feature length film about his early days in Cornwall, entitled “Summer in February”, and starring Dominic Cooper and Dan Stevens (of “Downton Abbey” fame).

Born and raised in Ontario, I took a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature at the University of Toronto, but also enjoyed courses in Greek, Roman and Medieval Art. When I went on to post-graduate work at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, I was quick to find the nearest riding establishment. This was the Low-Mitchells’ farm, “Balcormo”, which stands several Dutch Warmblood stallions, and is set in the hunting country of the Fife Foxhounds. When I returned to Canada, I married my wonderful husband, Justin Winter, took a teaching degree, and taught for several years. We have two grown children (Benjamin and Alice) and I am now a full-time artist, living on our farm near Pickens, South Carolina with a herd of three horses, two miniature donkeys, a black angus cow, numerous chickens and innumerable honey bees!

I paint because it’s my passion, and my hope is that the pictures bring pleasure to those who see them~