PICTURE RIGHT
Wendy and her award with fashion designer Jeff Banks at the Royal College of Art.
CREATING THE ARTWORK
Wendy usually paints her animal subjects against a flat white background, which creates an uninterrupted connection with the onlooker. Attention is therefore fully placed on the animal.
Portraying the character of our subject is achieved through pose, expression and the angle of the onlooker to the animal.
Wendy strictly avoids photo-realism. Loose brush strokes create life and movement in the painting, whilst attention to the eyes brings depth and soul to the body.
The subjects disappear off of the edge and around the corners of the painting, creating a feeling that these creatures are free to wander off the canvas at any time.
This all achieves a sense of empathy with the subject, which is often missing in artistic interruption and even in our day-to-day relationships with the animals around us.
ABOUT WENDY
Wendy studied fine art at Northampton Art School and to degree level at Edinburgh.
She went on from there to become surface pattern designer in Manchester for two years.
On moving to London, she worked as the art director for a well-known fashion company, working with top photographers in the UK and at overseas locations in the USA, France, Tunisia and Italy.
In the mid nineties she took the decision to following her own path and set up an art and design business.
This business concentrated on producing well-designed images of distinction for the Giftware industry. This culminated in winning the prestigious ‘Gift of the Year’ award from the Giftware Association and was presented by Jeff Banks at the Royal College of Art. The ‘Gift of the Year’ awards are the premier accolades within the Giftware Industry. Wendy was also nominated over a further two years, achieving runner up position on both occasions.
Wendy’s business also achieved the ‘Best Peak Business’ award for the most successful enterprise in the area, backed by Business Link. She now licences her artwork in many countries around the World. Her work can be seen on a large array of products such as greeting cards, mugs, calendars, posters, home furnishings. Images are also popular in the USA, where 'The Good Portfolio' licensing company sells her work.
In the last few years Wendy has been concentrating on her professional painting career and has produced beautiful modern fine art pieces, featuring some strongly composed compositions, for the modern buyer. A number of shows and exhibitions featuring her new work have proved a great success both here and in the USA. She continues to build on this success with further representation at well-appointed shows and galleries.
SUPPORT
Wendy is currently working on a project to build up her business which relies heavily on the countryside setting in which she lives. This helps to keep the rural communtiy active and self sustaining. This project is supported through LEADER in the Peak District Rural Action Zone, part of the Rural Development Programme for England, which is jointly funded by Defra and the European Union, and is delivered by Derbyshire Economic Partnership (DEP). Please see our link page for more details.