Freya was born in Bath in 1979 and obtained a First Class Honours degree in Fine Art from the University of Central England, Birmingham in 2001. She then obtained a MA in History of Art (with Distinction & a dissertation prize) from the University of York in 2003.
She currently lives in York & teaches part-time at an independent school.Read full bio
Much of Freya’s work focuses on landscape, particularly mountainous regions, & Turner’s epic evocations of light and weather have always been an important influence on her. Whether in the Lake District or in the Himalayas – where she recently trekked to Everest Base Camp – Freya loves to paint the drama of mountain landscapes.
With the European travels of Ruskin and Turner and their beautiful watercolours of Alpine lakes and mountains in mind, I wanted this work to reflect on journeys I have made and recorded in painting.
Walking is central to Freya’s work as an artist, allowing information to be gathered directly from the landscape, to experience the space and wildness of mountain tops, moorland and coast, and listen to their sounds and rhythms. However, she has also recently completed a series of townscapes, of York & some Italian cities, particularly Venice, the latter echoing the strong connection of both Turner and Ruskin with the city. These have a mysterious & ethereal quality whilst capturing the essential details of the architecture & the very essence of the place.
She works by filling sketchbooks with notes and drawings in a variety of media, which she uses as starting points for paintings in the studio:
I often begin with highly diluted acrylic paint, puddled on to the canvas or board, followed by transparent layers of oil paint, some areas of the surface becoming textured and highly worked and others remaining more translucent and simple.
She has exhibited in prestigious galleries throughout the north & Midlands, & also in Cornwall.
Freya Horsley
Freya was born in Bath in 1979 and obtained a First Class Honours degree in Fine Art from the University of Central England, Birmingham in 2001. She then obtained a MA in History of Art (with Distinction & a dissertation prize) from the University of York in 2003.
She currently lives in York & teaches part-time at an independent school.Read full bio
Much of Freya’s work focuses on landscape, particularly mountainous regions, & Turner’s epic evocations of light and weather have always been an important influence on her. Whether in the Lake District or in the Himalayas – where she recently trekked to Everest Base Camp – Freya loves to paint the drama of mountain landscapes.
With the European travels of Ruskin and Turner and their beautiful watercolours of Alpine lakes and mountains in mind, I wanted this work to reflect on journeys I have made and recorded in painting.
Walking is central to Freya’s work as an artist, allowing information to be gathered directly from the landscape, to experience the space and wildness of mountain tops, moorland and coast, and listen to their sounds and rhythms. However, she has also recently completed a series of townscapes, of York & some Italian cities, particularly Venice, the latter echoing the strong connection of both Turner and Ruskin with the city. These have a mysterious & ethereal quality whilst capturing the essential details of the architecture & the very essence of the place.
She works by filling sketchbooks with notes and drawings in a variety of media, which she uses as starting points for paintings in the studio:
I often begin with highly diluted acrylic paint, puddled on to the canvas or board, followed by transparent layers of oil paint, some areas of the surface becoming textured and highly worked and others remaining more translucent and simple.
She has exhibited in prestigious galleries throughout the north & Midlands, & also in Cornwall.
Gallery
