Billie Nipper
 | |
| Occupation | Horse portraitist, horse breeder |
|---|---|
| Discipline | Performance Tennessee Walking Horse |
| Born |
November 22, 1929 Cleveland, Tennessee |
| Died |
February 24, 2016 (aged 86) Cleveland, Tennessee |
| Lifetime achievements | Inducted into Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
Billie Nipper (November 22, 1929 – February 24, 2016) was an American artist who specialized in portraits of horses. Nipper painted every horse to win the Tennessee Walking Horse World Grand Championship from 1976 until her death. Nipper also bred horses, and her husband and son were horse trainers.
Nipper's art was owned by Ronald Reagan and Zsa Zsa Gabor. One of her paintings is in the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Nipper died in February 2016.
Life and career
Nipper was born on November 22, 1929,[1] in Cleveland, Tennessee.[2] She was one of six children born to Ina Mae Arthur and John Ernest Rymer.[3]
She married J. L. Nipper. A year after their marriage, the couple moved to Cleveland, Ohio due to J. L.'s job. Out of boredom, Nipper bought an art kit and began painting. She thought her first efforts were "horrible", but her husband liked her work and showed it to others.[4] Nipper began to study horses in an effort to portray them more accurately. Her father-in-law was a professional trainer and farrier, and she began painting pictures of him at work.[5] Nipper's husband initially rode horses as an amateur, but he later became a professional trainer, as did his and Nipper's son, Joel.[6] Nipper continued painting for her own enjoyment until one Christmas when she gave her father-in-law a painting of his own horse as a gift. Some of his clients who saw the painting became interested in Nipper's work, and asked her to paint portraits of their own horses. She had many requests and soon began charging for her paintings.[2]
She soon began to get commissions to paint Tennessee Walking Horses, particularly those involved in the upper levels of show competition. She personalized her paintings by taking pictures of the actual horses to use for reference and in order to show correct proportions and individual characteristics.[2] In 1976, she began painting pictures of each Tennessee Walking Horse to win the breed's World Grand Championship, beginning with that year's winner Shades of Carbon, and his trainer Judy Martin.[5] In all, she painted over 30 World Grand Champions.[7] For a time, Nipper operated in conjunction with the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association, but then went out on her own, saying, "Us artists like our independence".[2] Nipper had a temporary office at the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration each year.[7]
In many of her World Grand Championship portraits, Nipper painted a montage depicting the horse's life and show career. She first used this technique for a portrait of Pride's Generator. When Nipper asked the horse's owner, Claude Crowley, if she could do a montage, Nipper said, "He said 'I don't know what that is, but why not?'" The style soon caught on and was requested by other horse owners.[2] Nipper herself bred Tennessee Walking Horses, and once bred a mare to The Whole Nine Yards, a World Grand Champion, of whom she had previously painted a portrait. Although the portrait was painted before the horse ever won a title, Nipper depicted him with roses around his head. The horse's owner later said she almost sent the picture back.[5]
In the mid-1970s, Nipper began to have her oil paintings made into prints, after getting requests from people who could not afford the originals.[2] Nipper's work was also transferred onto Gorham china.[5]
Nipper died in her hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee on February 24, 2016, at the age of 86.[4]
Legacy and recognition
Nipper was inducted into the Tennessee Walking Horse Hall of Fame in honor of her contributions to the breed, and was also inducted into the Tennessee Agriculture Hall of Fame.[4] In the 1980s, she painted a horse-themed plate that was given to American president Ronald Reagan.[4] In 1982, her work was displayed in the Fine Arts Pavilion at the World’s Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee.[8] In 2012, Nipper painted an ornament that decorated the Christmas tree at the Governor of Tennessee's mansion.[4] Nipper was also commissioned to paint pictures for Zsa Zsa Gabor and Shania Twain.[4]
Nipper has a painting in the Kentucky Horse Park, a museum of and tribute to horses located in Lexington, Kentucky. Some of her paintings are also in the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in Texas.[5]
The city of Cleveland, Tennessee has held an annual art show in honor of Nipper each fall for over 40 years. The show is named the Nillie Bipper Arts and Crafts Festival; "Nillie Bipper" is an intentional play on Nipper's first and last names, done for humorous purposes.[7] However, the first year the festival was held, many people called the local newspaper office to complain that the organizers had gotten Nipper's name wrong.[4]
References
- ↑ admin (September 30, 2015). "Billie Nipper Obituary – Cleveland, Tennessee". Retrieved June 30, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mary Reeves (March 19, 2010). "Stories in still life: Artist specializes in equine subjects". Shelbyville Times-Gazette. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ↑ "Billie Rymer Nipper Obituary". The Scoop. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Rene A. Capley (August 30, 2007). "Nipper captures equine images". Shelbyville Times-Gazette. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ↑ Jessica Schneider (September 23, 2015). "World champion, age 2: Little Nipper is 5th generation of family to compete in horse shows". Decatur Daily. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
- 1 2 3 Pam Sohn (September 1, 2012). "Cleveland woman gains renown as horse portraitist". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ↑ "About the Artist". billienipper.com. Retrieved 3 July 2016.