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Beauty is in the details: Interview with Zoë Carmichael

14 January, 2025

Polly Portwin meets sculptor Zoë Carmichael to talk equine inspiration and taking the leap into an exciting new career in this article for My Countryside magazine.

Some people’s brains are wired to learn languages, but I learn by creating things and as soon as I started sculpting, my resting heart rate dropped immediately,” explains Zoë Carmichael, the first ever sculptor-in-residence for the Household Cavalry.

Zoë’s name might be familiar to those who have previously purchased our Christmas cards because her intricate and topical designs have been a part of our collection for the past six years.

Zoë’s journey from working in finance full-time – with a passion for art and creating marvellous cakes – to full-time sculptor is one of those life paths that, in hindsight, make perfect sense. Something about working with her hands, creating shapes and forms, felt natural to her. “I learn by doing,” she reveals.

Training at the renowned Studio Galleria Romanelli in Florence in 2022 turned out to be a transformative experience. Zoë describes it as “life-changing” and says the influence of the Old Masters’ art seeped into her bones. She recalls one of her favourite lectures, where they compared Titian and Rubens’s composition styles, and how much that understanding impacted her own sense of structure. “I could still sculpt without Florence,” she says, “but it’s given me a depth and perspective I wouldn’t have found otherwise.”

Yet, in many ways, Zoë’s transition to becoming an award-winning sculptor, didn’t come out of the blue. Horses had been a constant in her life since childhood, shaping her sensibilities long before she ever picked up a sculpting tool.

Growing up in the VWH country and as a member of the Cotswold Pony Club, Zoë hunted regularly. She became an experienced event rider too, taking her horse Bertie up to advanced level, crediting her time on the hunting field for her fearless cross-country attitude.

Zoe Carmichael_CAVALRY 10 RS

“Horses teach you so much about partnership,” she says, “With a horse, you feel like you can do anything.” This lifelong bond with horses became the heartbeat of her work as a sculptor. Every sculpture, every detail, is an homage to the distinct personalities and beauty of these animals. She doesn’t just sculpt horses – or her other subjects – as they appear; she captures the gestures and quirks that make each one unique. Zoë’s works invite you to explore them up close, where you’ll notice tiny details, like the muscles as a horse strides forward, or a buckle positioned “just so”.

“I want people to see the beauty from afar, but when they get closer, I want them to notice all the little things,” Zoë says. “There’s always something – a hound stealing something, a horse sipping on a bottle of port, or a number on a horseshoe. Those details give that all important spirit.”

Her journey has recently brought her a special project with the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR), creating bronzes to honour their workhorses. As the first-ever sculptor-in-residence with the HCMR, Zoë feels a profound connection to the project. The three magnificent sculptures she has produced of some of the Cavalry’s most iconic horses: Juno, a drum horse; Verona, a Charger of the Life Guards; and Hastings, a Standard Horse of The Blues and Royals, honour over 200 Military Working Horses, each one crafted with painstaking attention to detail. They were sculpted in person at the Hyde Park Barracks where Zoë recalls the hours spent learning the horse’s personalities and creating a unique bond with them.

Seeing the horses taking part in the King’s Birthday Parade, with the officers and soldiers she had come to know standing alongside them, she was struck by a new emotion. “That’s the first time I really understood what it truly meant to ‘burst with pride,’” she reflects. “To see those horses celebrated for all they do – it was incredibly moving. I am just so thankful to all those at HCMR who welcomed me and made it possible to get such insight, particularly Capt. Jeremy Bushell.”

A painstaking process

Creating such magnificent sculptures is both an art and a process of patience. Zoë starts with clay, sculpting every vein, nostril, and muscle, aiming to capture that lifelike essence before transferring certain details into bronze. She has an extensive toolkit to get every detail just right, ranging from wooden and metal tools to even dentist’s tools. “It takes hours, but it’s worth it to capture that lifelike quality,” she shares.

But making the leap from hobbyist to professional artist wasn’t an overnight decision. Zoë spent three months weighing it up, carefully considering every angle and talking to friends – those who’d made similar bold moves, and those who hadn’t.

“I made spreadsheets, backup plans, and even asked my most cautious friends,” she says. “One of my team members actually joked that they had a nightmare that I’d fall in love with sculpting and never come back – and they were right!”

Once she made the decision though, Zoë took a structured, careful approach to pursuing her dream. She tested her limits, making sure she could sell pieces, not only to friends but to strangers and even international buyers. She set mini-challenges for herself: “Could I sculpt something that wasn’t a horse? Could I sell abroad? Each step gave me confidence to keep going.” Her plan was simple but effective: try everything, test, and adjust. “In the end,”, she said, “as you would out hunting, you’ve got to throw your whole heart over the hedge. If it failed, at least I’d have given it a go.”

For Zoë, every sculpture is a story – a piece of art that brings to life her own journey, her respect for tradition, and the undeniable magic of her subjects. Failure is not going to be an option – Zoë’s work is here to stay and she’s definitely one to watch. 

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