Press Release: Black and White Portraits of Endangered Heavy Horses
PRESS RELEASE, 27th June 2022
New Black and White Portraits of Endangered British ‘Heavy Horse’
Award-winning photographer Paul Coghlin's equine series, “Workhorse”, captures the strength and elegance of the rare British “Suffolk Punch” horse.
British fine-art photographer Paul Coghlin FBIPP has released a new equine series of monochrome portraits of the rare and endangered Suffolk Punch breed of horse, entitled “Workhorse”.
For this project, Paul was granted special access to the horses.
In a move away from traditional equine portraits, his compositions for the series have been influenced by other art forms, such as abstraction in paintings, and modernist sculpture. This approach has created intimate detailed studies of the powerful animals, and becomes a more close-up and personal experience for the viewer.
To increase this experience further, and better present the very fine detail in each portraits, Paul has chosen to print the work in the larger format. Created on museum-quality papers, using archival pigment inks, the 40 and 50 inch prints become statement pieces, with many of the horses appearing nearly life-size.
Paul anticipates that the “Workhorse” series will be expanded over the next few years, as he continues to study these powerful living sculptures.
Paul describes the series:
“The British workhorse, or "heavy horse", is known for its exceptional power and strength. It was originally bred for working the land, and was an important part of Britain’s social history, and helped to shape the rural landscape.
These studies and portraits are of the “chesnut”-coloured Suffolk Punch working horse, a rare and endangered breed, dating back to at least the 16th century. They were photographed in Suffolk, eastern England, where the breed originated.
I've taken an alternative approach to photographing the horses, to avoid a traditional portrait style. Instead, the studies are influenced by art-forms such as modern sculpture, dance and even abstraction, and work to highlight the muscular power, strength and elegance of these rare British workhorses.”
Four low-resolution sample images from the series are included with this press release. The entire series can be viewed at https://www.paulcoghlin.com/workhorse.
For more information on Paul Coghlin's work and higher resolution images for publication, please contact us.
Notes to Editors:
Paul Coghlin was born in 1967 in south London. He grew up in the New Forest region of southern England and is now based in East Anglia, UK.
Growing-up in the countryside and near the southern England coast has strongly influenced Paul's photography, and encouraged his interest in science, especially environmental issues.
Paul has a degree in Environmental Science from Plymouth University and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Remote Sensing (Earth Imaging/Photogrammetry) from University College London.
He was made a Fellow of the British Institute of Professional Photography (the BIPP) in 2012.
Paul Coghlin's work includes evocative and atmospheric photographs of the natural world and human environments, in both black-and-white and colour.
He is particularly interested in texture and form, often reducing subjects down to their fundamental qualities.
Paul has received many international photography awards, including Black and White Photography Magazine's 'Photographer of the Year' and 'Printer of the Year' in 2010, and the BIPP 'Professional Photographer of the Year' award in 2010 and again in 2013.
Paul Coghlin is represented by a number of international galleries, including the prestigious Weston Gallery in Carmel, California (owned by the family of Edward Weston).
His work is included in many private collections around the world.