Tamsin Pickeral was born in England a frightening amount of years ago. She is the daughter of a veterinary surgeon and an artist/art teacher. Art and animals have remained a defining influence on the author, who specialises in books on both subjects. Alongside her own books she has also been a major contributor to a number of multi-author art reference publications and exhibition catalogues. Her books are published internationally, and have been widely reviewed in leading newspapers and magazines.
Her academic training revolved around the arts, first with a period of time spent studying in Italy, before finishing her degree in history of art and architecture at Reading University.
Having learnt to ride (or at least stay on) at a young age on a belligerent ex-racing donkey, the author later moved on to competitive riding, eventing and showjumping with some success, and horses continue to play an important role in her life.
She wrote her first book (The Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies, 1999) in the United States where she lived for eight years, much of it spent on a remote cattle ranch. During this period she continued her work with horses as well as being a veterinary nurse, while building her writing career. Following her move back to the UK, the author was able to devote herself full time to her profession.
Tamsin routinely works with contemporary artists including leading figurative painter Chris Gollon, the subject of her book, Chris Gollon: Humanity in Art, published 2010. She has just co-ordinated a number of British artists to exhibit and sell their works at the prestigious Parisian auction house Auction Eve and has recently finished work on American photographer Juliet Harrison's book Equiscape.
Her most recent book is The Majesty of the Horse, written in collaboration with award winning photographer Astrid Harrisson and published in the US in October 2011, due for publication in the UK in April 2012. This book has also just been released in New Zealand and Australia. The book is a major new study of the horse, its cultural relevance and the spread and development of 90 of the most important (and often rarest) breeds.
Currently Tamsin is ghost writing a book for someone else, but Shhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell!
For more information please visit www.tamsinpickeral.com
