Biography

Christine M. Cancelli has had a long and varied career involving art and horses. She was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut with her five sisters. Always interested in art, she can remember drawing horses at a very early age, copying the drawings of Sam Savitt and Paul Brown. After graduating from high school, she moved to New York City, immediately finding work as a graphic artist. She worked in advertising for a few years, then took a year off to go to Europe, touring the great museums of Italy, France, England, and Spain. When she returned to New York City she decided she needed some formal art training. While she continued working as a graphic artist during the day, she studied painting and drawing in the evenings, first at the studio of Michael Aviano, and then as John Howard Sanden’s monitor at the Art Student’s League. Shortly after a second visit to England in 1974, she decided to take riding lessons. It was also during this time she started going to horse races, hunt meets, horse shows and polo matches. It wasn’t long before her paintings started to reflect her childhood interest in horses. Finally, after seeing a retrospective of Sir Alfred Munnings’ work at the Wildenstein Gallery in 1983, she gave up her day job and decided to paint horses for a living.

Ms. Cancelli has painted Champion Pacing Filly, Worldly Beauty, Belmont winner, Creme Fraiche, Steeplechase Champion, Flatterer and Bruce Davidson’s Reserve Champion, Regent Lion as well as numerous hunters and jumpers. She has traveled extensively to paint major racing events here and in Europe. Her corporate clients include Polo/Ralph Lauren, the USET, The National Steeplechase Association and Fair Hill International. Her work has been featured in American Artist, Town & Country, Spur Magazine, Equine Images and The Hunt. Her paintings have appeared on the cover of The Chronicle of the Horse, US Air and The Equine Marketer, and she has done illustrations for The New York Times and Reader’s Digest. She has exhibited in galleries across the country and is currently represented by Cross Gate Gallery in Lexington, Kentucky, Hardcastle Gallery in Centerville, Delaware, and Abco Fine Art in Howell, New Jersey.

Ms. Cancelli is a full member of the American Academy of Equine Art (AAEA).

Ms. Cancelli moved from New York City to Howell, New Jersey ten years ago. She lives on a small farm with her husband and fellow artist, Roman Szolkowski and their nine-year-old son, Rider. Ms. Cancelli has a studio in her home and often uses her horses as models in her paintings.

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