The Horsmans Picnic

Influenced by my local beach and parkland with reference to the head gear of an English horse.
A picnic in the park with everyone bringing food is a common gettogether.

I find myself drawn into a quiet, slightly uncanny moment in The Horseman’s Picnic, as though I’ve stumbled upon a memory that doesn’t fully belong to me. The figures feel both present and distant—softly outlined, almost dissolving into the landscape—while I stand there holding the scene together in my mind. The women, with their bowls of bright fruit, seem absorbed in a gentle ritual, and I can almost feel the cool grass underfoot and the dampness in the air. There’s a hush here, a stillness that makes even the smallest gestures—passing fruit, turning a head—feel significant, as if time has slowed just enough for me to notice everything.

What unsettles me most, though, is the horse in the foreground, its eye large and watchful, meeting mine with a kind of quiet intensity. I feel observed, almost implicated, as though I’ve interrupted something I don’t quite understand. In the distance, the shadowy figure of the horseman adds a faint tension, contrasting with the softness of the picnic. The brushstrokes are loose and expressive, and I sense the artist’s hand guiding my attention rather than dictating it. As I take it all in, I feel both comforted by the pastoral calm and slightly uneasy, caught between innocence and something harder to name.

The work is an original piece and comes with D-rings and wire ready to hang. The canvas is unframed. The sides are painted in black to set off the artwork. The work has been sealed for protection.

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Hello from Phillip Island, Australia, where I live amidst abundant wildlife, wild seas and picturesque bays. We have a world renowned surfing culture, great wineries, motor sports and a relaxed lifestyle for locals and visitors alike. Our first nations people call the island Millowl.

​Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Peter Walker is a Phillip Island-based artist whose work explores the expressive potential of the human form. Since 2007, he has been developing his distinctive approach to Neo-Portraiture Expressionism, focusing on portraiture and figurative art that captures the emotional and psychological essence of his subjects rather than their likeness.

Working primarily from imagination, Peter finds inspiration in the ongoing study of the human figure. His gestural, lyrical, and expressionist style is expressed through both paintings on canvas and drawings on Arches paper. He embraces what he calls “considered mistakes,” pushing ideas, lines, and forms until he finds the visual thread that brings each work to life. This process keeps his art original, dynamic, and deeply personal — a reflection of both the subject and the artist’s intuitive journey.

My painting, drawing and printmaking has enabled me to exhibit locally, regionally, interstate and I've had 4 exhibitions in New York. I call the work I do Neo-portraiture expressionism. My style has developed through studying the human body, and what I call 'considered mistakes' taking the work in a fresh direction when needed.