West Cork will play host a solo exhibition from acclaimed Irish artist Chára Nagle whose exclusive and exquisite equine art hangs in homes throughout the world.

Cork-born artist Chára Nagle has been heralded as one of the country’s most exciting talents and her stunning collection of equine fine art will be showcased in the Starters Orders solo exhibition that will take place in The Warren Gallery in Castletownshend from Friday, 26^th of July to Saturday, 31^st of August.

Paul Shanahan who is described as the “eyes and ears” of leading thoroughbred stud owner John Magnier of Coolmore, will officially open the exhibition on Friday, 26^th of July from 6pm to 8pm.

While a notable portrait artist in her own right, Chára is famed for her stunning equine portraiture through which her meticulous technique captures the nobility, majesty and strength of the beautiful beast.

A total of 11 breath-taking pieces ranging in size from 10 foot to 1 foot , will be on show in the Castletownshend exhibition which Chára considers a homecoming not just for her but for her work.

“It feels like I’m coming back to my roots as I spent a lot of time in West Cork as a child,” she stated. “The abundance of countryside mixed with an understated sophisticated style and appreciation for beauty in nature is at the core of this part of Ireland. Ultimately my paintings are an acknowledgement of the beauty and strength within.”

Chára’s reputation as a world-class painter stems from an appreciation and a style in which she makes the horse the dominant subject over the humans or surrounding landscape in the portrait.

She combines a classical naturalist realism of form and proportion with a romantic celebration of colors, life and nature. Her genre of style is described as ‘hyperrealism’ which is a photorealistic rendering of the subject matter that brings her paintings to life.

A deep understanding of and a close contact with horses is essential to her work which is why she is usually found behind-the-scenes and beside the track of the country’s big race meetings. It’s this fly-on-a-wall approach that helps her fine-tune her art of encapsulating the colour, muscle tone and sheen of horses in action.

A love and desire to work with horses has always been in Chára’s blood from her family’s background which is steeped in the equine industry based in the Curragh and she has been the resident artist of the Curragh Racecourse for the last two years.

Her work has been commissioned and bought by many equine enthusiasts and fine art collectors here at home, across Europe and in the Far East.

For more information visit www.charanagle.com or call 01 2305060.