February 2026
According to the Chinese New Year, The Year of the Fire Horse began on February 17, 2026.
It coincides with completion of the first artworks from my Equine Art Days, a series of events which I organized to provide a small number of talented, local, professional artists with an opportunity to spend “A Day In the Life of a Horse”, get up close to my horses, gather inspiration and create some amazing pieces from the experience.
This month, I am delighted to introduce one of the first professional artists who attended – Stuart Speer – an established, part-time, professional artist, creator and photographer based in Yeovil, Somerset, UK, who joined the first Equine Art Day
2026 – Year of the Fire Horse
The Chinese New Year marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar (moon-sun based) Chinese calendar and marks the end of Winter and beginning of Spring.
It is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture and is recognized by the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List.
The first day of the Chinese New Year falls on the new moon that appears between January 21 and February 20.
The 12 animals associated with the Chinese New Year calendar originate from an ancient Chinese poem which depicts12 mythical animals descended from the heavens to help people celebrate the approach of Spring and a new crop.
The Chinese New Year also includes five elements of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water, that cycle with the 12 animals, creating a 60-year cycle. Each element brings distinct traits, such as growth (Wood), passion (Fire), stability (Earth), determination (Metal), and intuition (Water) to the animals, and are influential with regards to personality, interactions and fortune.
The Year of the Fire Horse begins on February 17, 2026, and ends on February 5, 2027.
The Horse represents action, freedom, speed, energy, success and breakthroughs. It also embodies bold forward movement without fear of obstacles with emphasis on being in motion, rather than standing still.
Broad range of talents
Stuart was born in Bromley in Kent, but moved to Somerset in the early 1990s with his work, and settled here. He has specialized in pencil and pen portraits for over 40 years, but also paints in various media including watercolor, oils and acrylics, on both paper, canvas and murals. While he studied art at school, Stuart taught himself beyond this.
His first artistic inspirations came from rock and pop music in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially New Wave and New Romantics/Synth Pop. Over the years, his artistic influences have included Dali, Escher, Vettriano, Banksy, and Van Gogh, as well as many others.
Stuart was a key member of Yeovil Art Space, with many of his drawings and paintings exhibited there, as well as at the Somerset Open Studios, a well-known, bi-annual, creative event held across the county. His photography has been showcased in Yeovil Art Space’s “Story of Yeovil” Project. Additionally, a selection of his drawing artwork has been exhibited in the Yeovil Octagon Theatre. He has also run beginners drawing and sketching workshops through the Yeovil Art Space Group in Yeovil and The Gugg (formerly known as Guggleton Farm Arts) in Stalbridge, Dorset. Over the course of his career in art, Stuart has undertaken countless private and personal drawing commissions, as well as significant mural commissions. His commissions have included wildlife, pets, and portraits.
At home with art in Yeovil
Yeovil is a small town in the south of Somerset, close to the border with the county of Dorset. It lies in the center of the Yeovil Scarplands, a natural area on the River Yeo.
The name ‘Yeovil’ means ‘town on the river’. It was first settled in ancient times on a major Roman route through the West Country and identified in a Saxon charter that dates from 880. It was known then as ‘Gifle’, which was derived from Saxon language for ‘forked river’, and formed an earlier name for the River Yeo. The Yeo Estate was bequeathed in the will of King Alfred the Great to his youngest son, Aethelweard. Yeovil was mentioned in the Domesday Book as ‘Givele’ and described as a thriving market community.
The town developed around several industrial specialisms. It was once the hub of the UK’s leather industry and had become a glove-making center of excellence by the 1800s. In addition, its role as a center of the UK’s aircraft and defense industries continued into the 21st Century, with helicopter manufacture still continued there. Leonardo Helicopters is still the town’s biggest employer. Arts and crafts are also an important part of Yeovil’s scene.
“The art landscape is currently thriving in Yeovil. Unfortunately, the town has lacked certain levels of investment over a period of time, but local authorities and people are trying to change things for the better. Art has helped bring Yeovil alive again, and hopefully will continue to do so.”
“There are many sources of inspiration in the town itself, due to its rich past. And beyond it, there is also the surrounding countryside, rivers and railways, as well as some of its past and present people.”
Stuart Speer.
Capturing spirit
As an artist, Stuart loves to discover, explore and understand the passion and life drivers that make other people ‘tick’.
“My story with equine art has been about accompanying those who know their horses best, and I have many friends who are devout horse owners and lovers. I can totally understand their connection with their horses from sharing even small snapshots of their time with them and their animals.”
“Horses are such intriguing, beautiful, powerful, intelligent creatures with a great deal of character and sensitive feelings. I enjoy capturing their features, life force and spirit whenever I see them.”
“Any time I spend in the presence of animals, in their own environments, and especially horses, is a special and magical one for me. During the Art Day, Sara’s horses allowed us to get close to them, and sometimes their guard dropped, as if they kind of knew the reasons we were there.”
“The horses’ characters came across so easily too. When they realized that they were being photographed and admired they enjoyed posing, and they were playful when petted and stroked, as we got up close.”
“Such beautiful beasts and so trusting of the process. It was a day of enjoyment for sure, and of trying to capture their poise, their movements, their wonder.”
Stuart Speer.
Rekindling an idea
Taking his own photographs to work from at the first Equine Art Day, Stuart also met each horse in turn, observed them up close and from a distance and asked many questions about them.
In particular, Sapphire, my young mare, immediately caught his attention. She is an Irish Thoroughbred x Irish Draft mare with Champion Irish Draft in her breeding lines and a very endearing and curious temperament.
Sapphire’s markings rekindled an interest that Stuart has held for many years in one of his favorite artists, MC Escher. Renowned for creating complex drawings, Escher also developed some that showed various shapes drawn closely together that ‘emerged from one another’ as the drawing moved across the page.
“There was one overriding impression when I saw Sapphire’s markings….and that was ‘Fire’. The way her markings spread from top to tail, across her torso, and across her hind legs ignited an idea in me: Spreading like wildfire.”
Stuart Speer.
“You light the spark in my bonfire heart.”
James Blunt.
Explore the amazing photos that Stuart took to use as a creative reference from the Equine Art Day held in August 2024.
Setting creativity alight
Sapphire’s markings and energies inspired him to first write a poem:
Burning embers, burning bright
Flickering eyes and
A roll of your head
A swish with your tail
Your soul to be fed.
A glance in my direction
A turn on a sixpence spot
Moving to a call or command
Twisting till told to stop.
You show loyalty without question
Like a soldier till you die
With a bond so rare so deep
It’s a code you live by
Deep and dark and trusting
Affectionate, straight and true
The love you hold within you
Is etched on your skin too
You love like a bonfire aflame
Wildfires tattooed on your skin
A map of burning embers
For the spirit that lies within
In addition, he developed the resultant creative themes into an oil painting.
“I have literally just started learning/dabbling with oil painting, and after an encouraging session with an established oil artist, I wanted to challenge myself further and create something unique to me.”
“I like using and shaping my art using new tools, like knives. Also, knowing that oils take several days to dry, means that you can change things numerous times over to get the results you want.”
Stuart Speer.
“I feel really content with the painting that I have created. It is only my second piece in oils. And, I have been on quite a philosophical journey in getting to this result.”
“The original photographs of Sapphire that I took of the patterns across her body and hindquarters still do not do her full justice. These are even more striking when you meet her up close. How to capture her, those markings, her vitality, spark, soul and life force, became the drive and purpose of my painting, for me.”
“I have not done many abstract, contemporary works before, either. Creating this painting has helped me open that door up, too. I know I have poetry within me, so how to translate all that into colors, shapes, vibrancy and meaning within a painting, was key.”
“The song, Bonfire Heart by James Blunt, aided my challenge. The components for the painting revealed themselves to me…the markings, the body shape of the horse, linking the colors to the horse – ‘Sapphire’ blue, and white/grey mane elements.”
“Sapphire with a bonfire heart meant big flames and a roaring fire, to me. I was tempted to paint flying embers across the hind quarters and then recalled that parts that the song included the line “I have been staring at the stars all my life”. So, I decided to include my favorite part of the night sky, with Orion and other random constellations depicted.”
“The rest of the painting came alive as I layered the paint and created ridges, in the fire, body and tail, so that it was no longer just a 2D representation of Sapphire. It has depth, feeling and is great to touch. All in all, a complete holistic approach for all the senses.”
Stuart Speer.
Follow the photo story of Stuart’s artwork here:
Explore more of Stuart’s work here:
Fire Horse celebrations
Inspired by his study of Sapphire and other horses, as well as other cultures, Stuart joined the celebrations for 2026 Year of the Fire Horse in London on February 22 to capture the essence of the vibrant festival activities.
You can explore his spectacular photos of the event here:
Maybe he will feature horses again in future artworks…
“People like us,
We don’t,
Need that much.
Just someone that starts…
starts the spark in our bonfire hearts.”
Bonfire Heart – James Blunt
Contact Stuart:
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