Page 18 - OSG: 25 Years on Motcomb Street

SUSAN LEYLAND

Le Crete
Bronze
H 48 x W 26 x D 20 cm

Susan Leyland was born in 1952 and grew up in England near
Cambridge. Her grandfather, a veterinarian and horse breeder, gave
her her first pony at the age of four, establishing what would become
a life-long passion for horses. Her school years were spent away from
home at boarding school where she enjoyed sports, riding and studying,
especially art and art history; she began to draw and paint in her free
time. After finishing her studies she worked for a year as a secretary at
the Cambridge Institute of Criminology, and then in 1973 she moved to
Italy making Florence her home. Here Susan worked as a fashion model
from 1973 – 1980 with a number of fashion houses including Ferragamo.
Susan married in 1978 and moved to Impruneta, where her family was
completed with the arrival of her two sons in 1981 and 1986. From 1982
- 2000 she worked as an English language teacher and riding instructor.
Since her early school days, Susan had drawn and painted avidly in her
free time and this love of art and creativity continued through her adult
life. She became fascinated by the work of the Impruneta terracotta
artisans and encouraged by the Mariani family Susan began to make
her first sculptures. In 1998 Susan held her first exhibition, the success
of which led to a second exhibition at the Galleria Tornabuoni the
following year. In 2000 Susan made the decision to dedicate her time
to her equestrian sculpture, so uniting her love of horses and art.