Sylvie Baker is a 24-year-old artist living in Bristol who loves portraying horses and dogs in paint. Baker works in acrylic and oil, and uses bright colours and exaggerated forms to display the nature of the animals she has been surrounded by her entire life. Her upcoming exhibition ‘In Sight’ will be open to view in Bristol at Kit Form from 31 July, where these pieces will be available to see in person for the first time.
Do you have any early memories of drawing or painting that stand out to you?
From the moment I could hold a pencil, I spent a lot of time drawing horses. I remember being known for drawing horses in primary school, and this never changed throughout my childhood. I would make pencil portraits of friends’ pets and spent a lot of time in my room filling sketchbooks with horses, dogs and some attempts at sketching people, too.
When did you recognise that making art could become more than a personal hobby?
I think it was my first commission in my current style, about two years ago. I was just posting my paintings online as I developed my style and received an email asking about some pet portraits using bright backgrounds and incorporating the red colour that I love to use. It made me realise that people were actually seeing my work and liked it.
Although I had done commissions before here and there, they were always natural toned and exact copies from reference images, including no exploration with bright colours. That client continued to commission quite a few different paintings and I really felt like I could keep building on my hobby with that support. I graduated university with a first in civil engineering but felt so against the idea of continuing in that field — I knew I had to give art my best shot.
I also have to mention that when I sold my first larger work, I was ecstatic, only to check my Instagram DMs and find that Billie Eilish had messaged me to say she’d just bought it. After that happened, there was no way I was giving up on art. It felt like the biggest, most unmistakable sign to keep going.
You seem particularly drawn to horses and dogs as subjects in your art. What makes you interested in capturing their forms?
Horses and greyhounds are some of the most graceful and powerful domesticated animals, and they are so often exploited for racing. When painting them, I just want to capture their energy and spirited personalities, completely separated from human intervention. They are so often seen as money-making machines when they are actually so complex. I try to demonstrate that with exaggerated movements and striking colours as well as through the softer, more subdued pieces. Their long legs, necks and heads are so perfect for showing sweeping movement. I just love them!
Do your own experiences with animals influence your work?
My mum has always worked with, ridden and owned horses, so it was only natural that I was sitting on a horse by age 3. I have never been away from horses — even when I moved to Bristol for university, I immediately got a job working at a horse sanctuary and at a farm. The same goes for dogs, too. I’ve almost never lived without them. I feel like I have been studying animals my whole life. Working closely with them and being around my mum’s horses and my own, I couldn’t help but understand and feel connected to them. In a more practical sense, I learnt the anatomy of animals through exposure, and feel like I keep building on a model of a horse and a greyhound I have in my head that I can pose and use as my own reference, though I am more concerned about the overall energy of the piece rather than total anatomical accuracy.
Your paintings often emphasise movement and energy. What are you trying to capture when you paint an animal?
I try to exaggerate the movements I have seen in real life so many times. I want to make their powerful nature so obvious to everyone that sees my art, completely unrestricted by humans. I am trying to capture the distilled emotions that are usually much more subtle in real life. I’m just trying to extract that and put it on display, ahead of all other associations people may have with the animals.
What are you most looking forward to ahead of your debut exhibition ‘In Sight’?
I am really excited to see all the pieces come together, and how they interact with one other in the space. Most of all, though, I am looking forward to seeing how people react to them. I have only ever sold or shown my art online before this moment, so I have no way to gauge how they will be received in person. I’m hoping this exhibition can bring me closer to the Bristol art community and bring people closer to these wonderful animals.
Are there any artists whose work has been inspiring you lately?
Romy Elliott is an incredible artist who also paints predominantly horses and dogs. Her style is loose but precise and it so accurately portrays snapshots of life with animals — I am always in awe of her pieces. Loribelle Spirovski has been an inspiration of mine for a long time, her use of colour and the mix of realistic and abstract components is so fascinating to me. If you haven’t seen her work you’re missing out!
