Jane Johansson is a contemporary equine artist from the UK who paints to explore our emotional and visceral relationship with horses and the powerful emotions that they evoke in us. Inspired by her adventures in the saddle and a lifelong love of horses she captures the spirit and soul of the horse in expressive, colourful paintings and loose textural charcoal drawings.

In order to truly harness the essence of horse energy she brings the insights and lived experiences from riding in the landscape and being with her horses directly to her creative practice. Jane’s artistic process starts with layering plaster on the wood panel with energetic mark making to create foundational texture. Then abstract play and free expression with thin colour washes builds up the intensity to create the energy and mood.

From this intuitive process the horse will start to emerge and make his presence known. The paintings are built up of many layers over several weeks in a constant process of putting on paint and then taking away, sanding back to reveal unexpected history from previous layers. The final stage is adding the 22 carat gold which gives the painting energy and life.

“I paint for the love of horses, to explore the magical connection that exists between us and to share the essence of horse energy through the power of the painting.”

Jane Johansson works from her studio in The Cowshed in East Sussex where she lives with her family and horses.

After graduating with BA (Hons) in Fashion Design from Central St. Martins she worked as a fashion designer in Paris before returning to London to set up her own fashion label - Ursula Bombshell . she then went on to have a successful career idesigning costumes for Contemporary Dance and modern ballet and has been fortunate to have worked with some of the best choreographers and ballet companies all over the world including San Francisco Ballet, Vienna State Opera House, Stuttgart Ballet, The Royal Ballet, English National Opera, Czech National Ballet to name a few.

As co-owner of Float Glass Design - a creative glass company specialising in bespoke architectural glass and site-specific glass structures and sculptures - she has created several Public Art Commissions for hospitals and public buildings , including a recent large-scale Glass Art commission for The Natural History Museum which is now a permanent feature in the entrance lobby.

Jane has exhibited her work at several prestigious horse events and her paintings are held privately in the USA and UK. She is a member of The Society of Equestrian Artists.

2023
South of England International Horse Trials Ardingly UK
Alistair Fleming Design Showroom ( Solo Exhibition) Lewes UK
Badminton Horse Trials Gloucestershire UK
2022
The London International Horse Show London UK
The Royal Windsor Horse Show Windsor Castle, UK
Festival of the Iberian Horse Devon , UK
The Society of Equestrian Artists 'Horse in Art' Notts, UK
The Horsemanship Showcase Buckinghamshire, UK
2021
The Society of Equestrian Artists 'Horse in Art' Notts, UK
The Cowshed Collective Lewes UK
The Contemporary Art Fair Windsor, UK
The Horsemanship Showcase Buckinghamshire, UK