Photo by Livia Ravenel

Born in Rome and now based in Novara, Italy, most of Yasmine’s early memories are of painting and pony rides; she sat on a horse’s back before she knew how to walk. Coming from a multicultural family, she travelled regularly while growing up, meeting equines engaged in vastly different roles — ranging from racehorses at the Służewiec Racetrack in Poland to the working horses and donkeys in the bustling city of Cairo in Egypt.

She studied art history, under tutor Stewart Roberts, with the London Art College in the UK, completing two distance learning courses between 2016 and 2018. Apart from this, she hasn’t had any academic training in fine art, learning the craft by means of trial-and-error, advice given by practising artists, and books — her all-time favourite being Animal Painting and Anatomy by William Frank Calderon. She considers Leonardo da Vinci, George Stubbs, Rosa Bonheur and Beatrix Potter as her greatest influences.

In her work, Yasmine explores the emotional lives of horses and other animals with an emphasis on anatomical accuracy, guided by both firsthand experience and scientific literature. She works mainly in graphite, watercolour, and acrylics, favouring delicate lines, a limited colour palette, and simple compositions. Exhibiting both locally and internationally, she has artwork in private collections in Europe, the UK, the USA, and Australia.

Her interests include trail riding, analog photography, natural history, and behavioural sciences.