A DORSET artist and eldest child of world-renowned painter Lucian Freud is using her talent to help young people affected by domestic abuse.

Annie Freud is offering her painting 'Horses at Night' to raise money for Weymouth-based charity TheHorseCourse, which helps people to overcome mental health, communication and emotional challenges through working with horses.

Annie’s painting was inspired by her admiration of the beauty of horses in general and the work of George Stubbs in particular.

She said: "I used ‘Mares and Foals in a River Landscape’ by George Stubbs, the undisputed world master of horse painting, as my guide and model for the composition. Imagining them alive in front of me, I have tried to capture something of these animals’ magnificent physique as well as their qualities of alertness and calm, emphasised by the addition of a night sky.

"I am honoured and delighted to have been invited to make this work for such an important cause."

The painting is expected to fetch between £500 and £1,000 when it is auctioned in the Art and Design Post 1850 sale at Duke's auction house in Dorchester. The auction will take place at 10.30am on Thursday, September 26.

CEO of TheHorseCourse, Harriet Laurie, said: "It is lovely that Annie is doing this for us and especially because she recognises those special qualities of the horse that make them uniquely suited for the work we do.

"Ours is a revolutionary approach to mental health and self-regulation and we have excellent evidence of the impact we have. Our facilitators help people to become calm and focused by learning to communicate with specially trained horses from the ground.

“Our work trains people to recognise and manage anxiety or dominance which is causing them to become disengaged, disorganized, shut down or aggressive.

"The funds raised from the sale of this painting will go towards funding for young people who have witnessed or experienced domestic abuse.

"We help more than 500 people a year and rely on a mixture of grants, commissioning and community fundraising so gestures like Annie’s are always gratefully received."

Viewings of the painting are on Saturday, September 21 from 9.30am to noon, Monday, September 23 from 9.30am to 5pm, Tuesday, September 24 from 9.30am to 7pm and Wednesday, September 25 at 9.30am until 5pm.

Annie Freud is a painter, embroiderer and teacher. She is also the author of three collections of poetry published by Picador Macmillan.

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