Coffin’s Art Brings Life To Hampton Classic Poster

This year’s official Hampton Classic Poster artist will be Kelly Wilkinson Coffin. The 44th annual Hampton Classic Horse Show will be held in Bridgehampton from August 25 through September 1 and will feature the nation’s top horses and riders.

Coffin’s selected artwork, “Passing Traditions Along,” is a painting of a grandfather and grandson entering the show ring together. The painting “is rooted in the concept of the oral tradition of equestrian sport,” Coffin described.

“I hoped to capture the timeless quality of the equestrian tradition and that of the Hampton Classic Horse Show that has been, and continues to be, shared by multiple generations,” said Coffin. “Like riding, painting is an oral tradition, where there is innovation within the classic enduring principles and we artists, as well as riders, stand gratefully upon the shoulders of those who came before.”

Coffin is a lifelong horsewoman and an avid fox hunter. She is a lover of nature and traditional outdoor sporting life and is married to Tad Coffin, who won double gold medals in Eventing at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Coffin lives and paints on their farm in Ruckersville, VA.

“I am very much inspired as a painter and rider by my husband’s riding skills,” said Coffin. “He is, in fact, the model for this painting.”

For more information about Coffin and to view her artwork, visit www.kellywilkinsoncoffin.com. The new poster is currently available for pre-order on the Hampton Classic website, for shipping after the show. It will be available onsite during the event in the Hampton Classic shop.

jessica@indyeastend.com