Brooke Major has created a life and career by following her two great passions: horses and art. The American-born 43-year-old, who splits her time between Atlanta, Georgia, and Normandy in France, breeds elite level jumping horses – and also produces stunning French-inspired, equine-themed paintings.

“I ride five to six horses each day to keep in shape and paint at night. Every day is different, but every day I try to make the most memorable day of my life. I choose to only do things that I love, making sure that I live life to the fullest. I wake up and thank the world for everything I have,” says artist and breeder Brooke Major.

Brooke, whose art is on display at the Galerie Rollin in Rouen, France, and The Whiteside Gallery in Cashiers, North Carolina, has loved to paint ever since she was a child growing up in America. “I have always wanted to be a painter and was inspired by the Renaissance, Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and most of all, the Dadaists (an art movement of the European avant-garde developed in reaction to World War I). Their careers and lives were always something that was worth reading about, and seeing we only have one life to live, I decided to become an artist, too,” she says.

Horses formed the other half of Brooke’s childhood. She began riding at the age of three and spent countless hours in the saddle of trail horses, riding throughout the mountains surrounding her grandparents’ property. She received a horse of own when she was six, and it wasn’t long before she began riding and showing hunters in Atlanta, Georgia.

“By the age of 14, I wanted to show all of the time,” recalls Brooke. “I started catch riding and rode all throughout high school and started giving lessons for income over the summer.” Her love of horses stayed with her throughout her teenage years, and when the time came to head off to university, she had a plan to ensure they remained part of her life.

“Since I had always been fascinated by the Selle Français breed and France in general, I decided to apply to a university in Paris, where I studied International Relations. I took riding lessons at the Veterinarian School in Paris to obtain my showing licence in France and upon receiving it, I fell in love with Normandy and moved to a stud where I could learn all of the ins and outs of breeding sport horses,” she explains.

GRAIN LOFT STUDIO

Art had always been in the background – while in France, Brooke attended Beaux-Arts de Paris (National School of Fine Arts) – and on moving to Normandy, she set up a studio in a grain loft above an 18^th century farmhouse.

Brooke says her move to Normandy – France’s equine centre and home to many Olympic riders – allowed her to learn from great instructors, thus accelerating her equine career. Originally based at a stud in the Calvados region, she later moved to manage a stud and live in a castle for six years in the Manche region – the birthplace of the Anglo Normand breed (English Thoroughbred x Normand Cob), now known as the Selle Français.

“This was a very important move for me, for I was able to manage seven broodmares and the sports careers of numerous young horses of whom one, Ultimate d’Iso (Joyau de Bloye x Lou Piguet), went on to win the French Hunter Championships in Fontainebleau in 2013. Another, Urzo d’Iso (Number One d’Iso x Viking d’Oria), won numerous CSI4* and 5* Grand Prix classes, and another one, Seringat (Chef Rouge x Guillaume Tell), placed first twice at the Nations Cup event in Ocala (Florida) and finished third at Saut Hermès in Paris.”

Brooke’s love of jumpers and fascination with bloodlines continues today – albeit on a smaller scale. “I became so involved with the horses that I had a hard time juggling them with my painting. I eventually sold a large portion of my horses, keeping three of my favourite mares. Today I breed on a smaller scale and I have time now to travel, paint and spend time with my family.”

A mare that Brooke bred and raised, Déesse d’Iso (Air Jordan Z x Vas y Donc Longane), is currently enjoying success on the competition circuit, placing first at almost every 140-145cm class for elite amateurs. While she is no longer breeding as many horses, Brooke remains heavily involved with the ones she does breed: “I am very dedicated to breaking and training young horses and participating in the hunter ring with four-, five- and six-year-olds, ensuring proper training on the flat and preserving their bones and joints by jumping small fences while they are still growing.

“I now have nine horses, with two in foal for next year. I like to use German stallions on my French-bred mares, to limit inbreeding and develop a more refined head, and a chicer look. My mares are descendants on the dam line of Le Sancy, the Thoroughbred sire of the grey jumpers, and a great, great grandfather of my childhood favourite, Moët et Chandon Gem Twist. I am also particularly a fan of Air Jordan Z, for he always throws females and they are always bay or black. I have five fillies from this stallion and one more to come in 2023. I have also chosen Chellano Z and Columbus Z for their rapidity of the knees, their arabesque heads, and who can hide that we all love a nice grey horse!”

BAS-RELIEF INFLUENCE

One of Brooke’s more recent art collections – created using sculpted titanium white oil paint on canvas – reflects her love of not only grey horses, but also French and antique architecture. She says the bas-relief found on the walls of cathedrals, castles and monuments have been of great influence on this collection as it inspired her to create paintings that are essentially transportable bas-relief sculptures.

“The sculpted white paint horses are typically images I find inspiring on the internet or in magazines, catalogues or brochures,” explains Brooke. “I’m really into painting horses in movement and therefore I am very passionate of Muybridge’s work (Eadweard Muybridge was a pioneering photographer whose work revolutionised the understanding of how horses move), as well as polo competitions and dressage movements, which can be seen extensively throughout my work in white. As I do have the techniques of portraiture, I could not resist doing portraits in colour of my own horses as well as commissioned portraits of horses in colour as well.

“This technique is a mixture of sculpture and painting, which I started at first by scraping in the images into a very thick layer of titanium white oil paint. I gradually changed the way I applied the paint, creating thickness to produce light and shadow. I mix the paint in a large container with a paint mixer, adding turpentine and a drying agent for oil paint to allow for the paint to dry quicker (two months instead of four to five months). I use palette knives, sculpting tools, and sometimes cutlery to make these images and I work in an enclosed area with natural sunlight or natural light lamps.”

When asked if there are any famous horses that she’d love to recreate through her art, Brooke says that growing up she loved American racehorses such as Man O’ War and Secretariat, and being a keen show jumper she was of course smitten with Milton. “However, as I mentioned before, Moët et Chandon’s Gem Twist was my favourite horse growing up. Deceased for many years and cloned, I prefer the real Gem Twist and I would have been honoured to have been asked to do his portrait while he was still alive.”

Splitting her time between Atlanta and Normandy, Brooke has created a career that reflects both her great life passions. For her, the world of horses and art is forever intertwined – the horses she breeds now all have the suffix ‘Dada’, the origin of which not only reflects one of the art movements that inspired her, but also the way French children say ‘horse’.

“My horses are my living sculptures, and it all comes to one art form: Art Équestre.” EQ

Brooke Major’s work can be viewed and purchased in Galerie Rollin in Rouen, France and The Whiteside Gallery in Cashiers, North Carolina. All artwork is available via her website, as well as Instagram (@brookeseeart). Commissions are available upon request.

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