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To launch the celebrations for its 50th edition, the Hampton Classic Horse Show has unveiled its 2025 poster, “Beneath the Painted Sky,” featuring artwork by Michael “Mickey” Paraskevas of Southampton, NY. Paraskevas has previously designed the Hampton Classic poster four times (1987, 1992, 1998 and 2008).
A renowned artist and regular Hampton Classic attendee, Paraskevas has been an illustrator since graduating from The School of Visual Arts (SVA) in 1984. He then went on to receive his MFA from SVA in 1986. He has worked for most major magazines including Sports Illustrated, Time, Town & Country, New York Magazine and Rolling Stone, to name just a few.
“My first Hampton Classic was in 1984, and I’ve been to every one since. Over the years, I’ve had the great honor of being asked to create five posters for the event — something of which I’m incredibly proud,” Paraskevas said. “There’s just something special about the Classic that keeps drawing me back. I’ve got sketchbooks tucked away in my studio from nearly every year, filled with drawings and memories.
“This year’s painting is one I’ve been thinking about for a long time. When I draw, I usually find myself in the back schooling rings or around the stable area — places where things slow down a bit, and you can really take the time to study a horse. The open sky in Bridgehampton at the end of summer is breathtaking, and I wanted this painting to capture that. It’s as much about the quiet beauty of the horses as it is about the feeling of summer winding down.”
Paraskevas has also illustrated and written 24 children’s books over the years with his mother, Betty. The two went on to create and write the animated television series Maggie and the Ferocious Beast for Nickelodeon. Two of their other books were also made into animated series: Marvin the Tap Dancing Horse for PBS and Kids from Room 402 for Fox Family. Betty passed away in 2010, and Mickey continues to work on animated projects for a variety of companies.
His large-scale beach paintings have sold all over the world through his gallery in the Hamptons, where he has lived and called home for the last 45 years.
Celebrating 50 years of world-class equestrian competition, the Hampton Classic returns to Bridgehampton, NY, August 24-31, featuring FEI CSI5* and CSI2* show jumping and USEF Premier hunter competitions with more than $1 million in prize money.
The official Hampton Classic poster is a highly sought-after souvenir, and Paraskevas’s new art joins the line-up of iconic collectors’ items, many of which are available for sale on the Hampton Classic website at the Hampton Classic Poster Store. The 2025 poster, featuring Paraskevas’s design, is available for pre-sale on the website now and will also be available onsite during the horse show in the Hampton Classic Souvenir Booth.
Paraskevas works in acrylic, oil, watercolor or whatever the mood suits him at the moment. He also works digitally since the demands of the current illustration market require quickness and the ability to change things at the last minute. Paraskevas is always working on something. He and his wife, Maria, are currently writing and designing a new animated series for prime time. He keeps a wide variety of sketchbooks from all the events he attends. There is always something going on at Paraskevas Studios.
He has created many posters for horse shows around the country over the years, but he always says his work depicting the Hampton Classic is his favorite. His studio is filled with endless sketchbooks from his many years wandering the grounds of the show.
Paraskevas and his wife live in Southampton, New York, with a few rescue cats. michaelparaskevas.com
About the Hampton Classic Horse Show
Each year, approximately 50,000 people – including many A-list celebrities – come to watch the nation’s best equestrian athletes compete at the Hampton Classic Horse Show. Rated USEF ‘Premier-6’ for hunters and jumpers with designated FEI 2* and 5* jumping classes, the Hampton Classic features more than 200 competitions in six spectacular show rings, the Agneta Currey Boutique Garden with more than 70 vendors, and a wide selection of dining options, all on its world-class 60-acre show grounds. For more information on the Hampton Classic Horse Show, please call 631.537.3177. Hampton Classic Horse Show, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable corporation. hamptonclassic.com
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