Welgora

WELGORA: The Equestrian Art of Alan Langford is written by the New Forest artist Alan Langford and illustrated throughout with his wonderful paintings and sketches. ‘Welgora’ means ‘Romani horse fair’, and Alan’s book reflects his lifelong fascination for horses and the special relationship that they share with people, in particular with the Romanies. This interest grew from his early childhood when he lived with his family at Drapers Copse, Dibden. Alan writes, ‘It was there that I met my first Romani gypsies. They were a tough lot, and their toughness became most apparent during the winter of 1962-1963. Everyone on that caravan camp had a hard time that winter. Water froze in the pipes, so there were times when there was no running water. Our beds were hard against the caravan walls and we awoke in blankets damp and cold from condensation.’ As a young boy, Alan decided to make friends with some New Forest ponies and they quickly taught him a valuable lesson; ‘I had taken some slices of stale bread from the bread bin in our caravan, determined to make friends with these wonderful creatures.
I soon discovered a small herd and offered them crumpled slices of the bread from my flattened palm. The ponies were all eager to indulge in my generous offer and very soon all the bread was gone. That was when things started to turn for the worse.’ As well as telling his life story, Alan’s book has sketches, watercolours and large oil paintings on every page spread. His start in life did not favour a career in art, but after working as a mine worker in Australia, he moved back to work at Fawley Refinery on the edge of the New Forest, and took up studying art at night school. In time he found a full time job as an illustrator and later became a freelance comic strip artist, working on Warlord and 2000 AD. Eventually he took the big step of becoming a self-employed full-time artist. Alan makes use of his wide life experience and the time he has spent practising his craft, to get as close as he can to capturing ‘the illusion of movement that compels me to paint’. The power of Alan’s paintings will be appreciated by anyone who has seen or taken part in a ‘welgora’, a New Forest drift, the pony sales at Beaulieu Road Station or the Boxing Day Point to Point.
He brings a life and energy to the people and horses so intense that you can almost feel their hot breath and smell the earth. His paintings of longstanding events and new annual traditions, such as ‘Danny’s Drive’, provide a wonderful record of our country’s living heritage. Alan regularly exhibits at Godshill, Exbury, Fritham and Burley, and gives talks and demonstrations to community and art groups. He is a member of the Society of Equestrian Artists – true recognition of his journey in art.

Author Biography

Alan Langford was born in Hampshire in the early 1950s when his family decided to emigrate to Australia under the popular immigration scheme after the Second World War. In spite of the benefits of life in Australia his father suffered with homesickness and they returned to England after three years. In much depleted circumstances the family lived in a caravan at Drapers Copse, Dibden, on the edge of the New Forest. Alan writes, ‘It was there that I met my first Romani gypsies. They were a tough lot, and their toughness became most apparent during the winter of 1962-1963. Everyone on that caravan camp had a hard time that winter.’ Alan attended the local junior and secondary schools, but his main interests were the New Forest ponies and drawing and painting. After leaving school Alan went to Australia where he took on all manner of unskilled work, ending up working at a steel works and then a mine. When he returned to England he took work at Fawley Refinery on the edge of the New Forest, and after a full day at work studied art at night school. There he met his wife, Janet, who is also an artist, painting wildlife and natural scenes in miniature. In time Alan found a full time job as an illustrator and later became a freelance comic strip artist, working on Warlord and 2000 AD/. Eventually he took the big step of becoming a self-employed full-time artist and pursued his passion for horses and the Romani way of life, painting outdoors whenever he could. Alan is a member of the Society of Equestrian Artists.