Revealing the Artistry of Susan Leyland: The Story Behind her Signature Style Horse Block Sculpture

Leyland's Signature Style, Horse Block Sculpture

Susan Leyland, born in UK,1952, has been living in Italy since 1978 .

Since 2000, Leyland has pursued her passion for Art and Horses, making horses her subject matter and elevating them to an expressive medium in her sculptures.  She searches for innovative solutions in both shape and composition.

Susan Leyland is known for her signature style, Horse Block Sculpture, which is characterized by flowing horse shapes merging with rigorous geometric figures with straight and angled lines.

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Equustyle: What are your most important sculptures?

Susan Leyland: A 1 1/2 life-size Public War Horse Memorial which stands on the roundabout in Ascot, UK, to recall the suffering of millions of horses, mules and donkeys during WW1. 2018

Describing the process of creating the work, in an article by ArtUK.org, Leyland said: "I spent four years from receiving the commission to finalising the bronze at Black Isle Foundry, Nairn, solemnly learning about the First World War, drawing more than 200 sketches, reading and searching the internet, so that the war was part of me to interpret and transfer feeling into the monument, not as an onlooker or outsider, and to be able to portray this solemn monument with the greatest dignity and esteem for those animals recalling their suffering and hardship."

The sculpture does not portray any type of breed or particular horse. It was made considering the human loss as well as other equines, mules and donkeys.

War Horse Memorial Ascot UK

Sunworld Fountain Horses

5 horses with chariot sketch

An installation I designed and modeled five life-size bronze horses that pull the chariot of the Sun God Helios was installed at SunWorld Bà Nà Hills Resort, in Dà Nang, Vietnam. in 2020. Grand Cascade is a cluster of more than 40 artistic sculptures with the theme of ancient Greek mythology.

According to the writer of “Bà Nà Hills Launches New Project Grand Cascade on April 30-May”in Vietnam Insider, Leyland’s sculpture is “The most prominent in the ensemble of golden statues at Grand Cascade is the central cluster of statues at the fountain, where the sun god Helios controls the chariot pulled by five steeds. Viewed from afar, viewers have the feeling that the horse’s hooves are pedaling the waves, flying, leaping forward.”

Equustyle: How did your upbringing in the UK influence you and subsequently your art?

Susan Leyland: My upbringing in UK was a happy one. I was born in Whiston, Lancashire in 1952 and grew up in England near Cambridge. My grandfather gifted me a pony at the age of 4, establishing my bond with horses. I liked to draw and paint from an early age and usually horses but only later in life discovered sculpture.

My  first drawing and sculpture exhibitions where held in 1998 and 1999. One year later, in 2000, I held a solo show in Saratoga Springs, NY. The success of these exhibitions led me to take up sculpting full-time.

Susan Leyland, artist and sculptor in her studio

Equustyle:  Where do you work?

Susan Leyland: I work quietly and long hours in my Tuscan studio, an old stable, in the olive but I also love the excitement of travelling, exhibitions and meeting people. I have just returned from UK where my bronze and clay sculptures were exhibited at Gallery 8, St James’s, London, where six sculptures found new collectors.

Equustyle:  What is the process behind your sculpture?

Susan Leyland: I search for new ideas and elaborate the ideas by drawing and study sketching. I am inspired to explore and experiment, searching expression in innovative form from what I see and feel within.

I begin with a design, decide the size, make the base, the horses are then added and the forms take shape. Work on a sculpture can take a week to two months, depending on the size and the number of horses. The piece has to completely dry out before firing which can take another month. The sculpture is fired in a furnace for a week reaching over 1000 degrees

Companions in Crime + sketches

White horses painting

Susan Leyland in her studio

Equustyle:  What materials and techniques do you use for your sculptures?

Susan Leyland: I work in a coarse semi refractory water based clay, difficult to work with but beautiful and resistant to breakages when fired. I also work in other materials such as wax, non water based clays, polystyrene for enlargements, and in bronze.

Family Affection

In a Landscape

A Beautiful Day

White Horse Herd

Pinned Ears

Terra di Cavalli

Equustyle:  Who are your clients and where can people see your work?

Susan Leyland: My clients are from countries world wide, art lovers as horse lovers alike. My work can be found in the UK, USA, Canada, Thailand, China, Australia, Italy, Russia, Sweden, France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Asia and Arab countries.

My work can be seen in Italy at the Barbara Paci Gallery, Forte dei Marmi & Pietrasanta, the Brancacci Gallery, Florence and in Germany the Kunstgalerie Bech. My work is represented worldwide by Alan Kluckow Fine Art, Sunningdale, UK. She exhibits in the UK with The Country House & Stables Gallery, the Osborne Studio Gallery and the Norton Way Gallery.

Recent exhibitions took place at Gallery 8 London and Country House & Stables, Berkshire UK.

Equustyle:  What are the best ways for potential clients to connect with you?

Susan Leyland: I would ask anyone interested to look at my website www.susanleyland.com and Instagram Susan Leyland, to be able to see and understand my work in more depth.

Direct contact can be made via email susan.leyland@gmail.com or Instagram Message.

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More About Susan Leyland's Horse Block Sculptures

Susan Leyland is known worldwide for her Horse Block Sculpture. Her work is met with international acclaim by art collectors as well as horse lovers for their uniqueness in form and concept as well as for quality, harmony and beauty.

Horse Block Sculptures are of original aspect. Her horses blend with the bases creating a flow of shapes and negative spaces. The bases are often architectural, geometrical, pedestal like or they ground the work with simple rectangles, squares or spheres.

Leyland undertakes preparatory studies before starting to work on her sculptures. A clay sculpture can take two or more months to make depending on its size and complexity . When a sculpture is concluded there are precise drying times to follow, after which, when completely dry,  it is fired at MITAL terre-cotte works Impruneta.

Susan Leyland’s sculptures are unique and original pieces, modeled in a semi-refractory artistic clay or made in bronze and come with a certificate of authenticity.

The Heir at an angle

The Heir Horse Block Sculpture

SusanLeyland.com

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Exhibitions

Editor's Note: Sleeping Horse is a Horse Block Sculpture by Susan Leyland that I discovered over two years ago. I was immediately taken with the beauty and artistry of her equine sculptures.

Sleeping Horse by Susan Leyland

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Edgar Degas' Figurative Equine Sculptures Discovered in 1917

Horse Trotting, the Feet not Touching the Ground

During Degas' lifetime, none of the more than 150 figurative sculptures he created were publicly exhibited, a fact that reflects the artist's complex relationship with the medium of sculpture. While Degas is predominantly celebrated for his remarkable paintings and pastels, particularly those capturing the grace and movement of ballet dancers, his foray into sculpture reveals another dimension of his artistic exploration.

The sculptures, often cast in wax or clay, were typically intended as studies for his paintings or as personal expressions of his fascination with the human form and movement. This lack of public exhibition during his lifetime adds an air of mystery and intrigue to his sculptural works, as they remained largely unknown to the art world and the general public until after his death.

"Horse Galloping on Right Foot"

Horse Walking

Most of his sculptures were modeled before 1865, a period that marked significant development in the artist's approach to form and movement. The sculptures he produced during this time were not merely exercises in three-dimensional form; they were explorations of the dynamics of motion and the subtleties of posture.

By choosing not to cast his sculptures, he retained an element of intimacy and fragility that could be lost in the more permanent mediums.

Degas' reluctance to reproduce his sculptures in permanent materials like bronze or marble highlights his belief that the ephemeral nature of wax or clay better captured the fleeting moments he depicted. By not casting his sculptures, he preserved their intimacy and fragility, which might be lost in more permanent mediums. The raw wax models conveyed immediacy and spontaneity, allowing viewers to connect with his artistic process and vision.

This decision also highlights Degas' intricate connection with the art community and his personal artistic identity. He frequently viewed himself primarily as a draftsman rather than a sculptor, and his hesitance to create enduring pieces might suggest a wish to maintain a level of privacy and intimacy in his artistic pursuits. Consequently, the sculptures can be interpreted as a conversation between the artist and his materials, underscoring the ephemeral nature of life and art.

Horse with Head Lowered

Nevertheless, Albert Bartholomé, a sculptor and close friend of Degas, prepared each figure for casting, a process executed by the esteemed Paris foundry A.-A. Hébrard et Cie. It is essential to mention that Degas' heirs authorized the casting of bronze copies to preserve the compositions and sell them as finished works. In addition to the visual appeal, the use of bronze as a medium adds a layer of durability and timelessness to the sculptures, allowing them to withstand the elements and be appreciated for generations to come.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/3ef27f_c98aa494e5794fe08e4eea0ef648972d/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

The brief video showcases just a handful of the 72 horse sculptures that were meticulously cast in bronze, each one representing a unique artistic vision and craftsmanship. These remarkable sculptures capture the elegance, strength, and beauty of horses, which have long been revered symbols of freedom and power throughout various cultures.

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Currently on display at The Met on Fifth Avenue in New York City are Edgar Degas' 72 equine sculptures. This exhibition provides a unique opportunity for art lovers and the general public to discover these lesser-known pieces. The sculptures highlight Degas' acute observation of horses in motion, capturing their dynamism and elegance. His meticulous attention to detail and fluidity of form reveal a profound understanding of anatomy and movement, developed through years of studying dancers and horses.

Horse at Trough

Visitors will encounter works that showcase Degas' technical prowess and themes of grace, strength, and the transient nature of beauty. The exhibition connects his renowned paintings with his lesser-known sculptures, enhancing appreciation of his artistic legacy. This display at The Met celebrates Degas' contributions and fosters dialogue about the importance of sculpture in his work, inviting admiration and reflection.

The fact that his sculptural works were not publicly exhibited during his lifetime adds an element of mystery and intrigue to them. Degas' sculptures from this pre-1865 period not only showcase his innovative approach to capturing movement and form but also highlight his ambivalence towards the permanence of art. His decision to refrain from reproducing them in more enduring materials invites a deeper contemplation of the nature of artistic expression and the value of impermanence in the creative process.

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Degas Sculptures at The Met