Original works of art

Lionel Edwards ranks as one of the major masters and important influences on sporting art of the 20th century. Next to Sir Alfred Munnings, he is the best known and most respected painter in this genre. In Stella Walker's book British Sporting Art of the 20th Century, Edwards is referred to as the "grand old man of British Sporting Art." His career spanned over six decades. The majority of Edwards' best work were painted in watercolor and were executed between the years 1920-1960. His work is greatly admired for its sensitivity and spontaneity, particularly evident in the delicate brush strokes of his watercolors, to which he sometimes added chalk and body color for more varied effects. His style brought fluency and credible action into the sporting art school, especially in his racing and hunting scenes. He also was an exceptional landscape painter who introduced climatic conditions to his work as vital elements of the composition. A keen horseman himself, he spent much of his life hunting and attending sporting functions throughout England. He hunted well into his eighties.