Demonstrations List

Peter Partington The Wildlife Artist

I 've enjoyed  a great life and career as an artist and illustrator of the world of nature. Being out in the landscape with pencil, sketchbook and paints recording the power  of wild nature is a joy. Boxing hares in our fields in Suffolk, for instance,  never fail to thrill me. I have been lucky to have travelled widely.  I've seen Toucans in  the Costa Rican rain forest, Tiger on their reserves in India , the vast  migrations of Godwits in  New Zealand and the Wildebeest in Kenya. 

I make lightning notes in the field and  take them back to the studio to explore these  in a variety of styles.  I  use watercolour, oils and printmaking. Sometimes, if the mood takes me,  I model in clay, to be cast  into bronze.  My style can vary from small sketches which capture the essence of a Goldfinch  to bigger watercolours and  larger oil paintings. of classic  species such as  Red Deer, the  Peregrine Falcon, the  delightful Puffin and the elegant Barn Owl. In my compositions, I  try  to  capture  their movement , their changing colours, the light, weather and the  landscape that the animals inhabit.

I have had numerous exhibitions in Britain and abroad and  have  written and illustrated  many books and magazines on art, drawing wildlife and the countryside. I have  participated in world wide art and  conservation  projects, including the Briebza marshes in Poland, Texel in the Netherlands and Extremadura in Spain with the  Artists for Nature Foundation. My work for them is included in  major books and publications. Recently I was invited to visit  the fascinating dry forest of Dakatcha along the Kenyan coast to learn more about the  need for its preservation.

Its a  privilege to be an elected member of the Society of Wildlife Artists.

Living and working  in glorious Suffolk for thirty years  has been a major influence  on my art. The  birds, animals, rural spaces  and wide estuaries  are a never ending source of inspiration.

Trevor was born in Essex, but moved to Staffordshire where he stayed until moving to the Isle of Wight in 1983. This led to a new period in Trevor’s work. He was captivated by the movement of sea and light, and his growing daughter was the inspiration for a series of studies. From 1987 he regularly exhibited in the Quay Arts Centre, but his work was also being shown nationally, in Lymington (Hampshire), Bartley Drey Gallery (Chelsea), and London.

The Hare at Long Melford - please book your tickets via the Event page

Graham is a professional artist born in North East Essex and is an elected member of The Royal Institute of Oil Painters and the Institute of East Anglian Artists. His love of landscape oil painting stems from the adaptability and responsiveness of the medium as well as his family connections to the landscape. East Anglian painters such as Edward Seago, Harry Becker and John Constable are constant sources of inspiration. Most of Graham's paintings are influenced by changing atmospheres and appreciation of nature and the landscape itself whether at home in East Anglia or further afield.

Keith has an affinity for buildings born from an earlier career in architecture and consequently in architectural illustration, with watercolour being the medium of choice for most illustrators for reasons of speed and convenience. He is entirely self-taught, both as an illustrator and artist.

His paintings are quite separate from his illustration work. Although they share the same medium, with the former he is free to explore the medium to its limits without the constraints of a client’s wants and needs.

Keiths approach is dynamic and spontaneous, applying paint at speed, moving and adjusting washes as he progresses. He believes the pursuit of perfection is a fool’s errand; it cannot be achieved by mere mortals and it’s the imperfections that make art interesting and personal, revealing the artist, warts and all.

Keith finds watercolour a medium of endless possibilities and often feels as though he just scratching the surface. He plays with it constantly, trying different brushes and exploring ways of applying paint (as well as removing it), although Keith is not obsessed by technique as such and prefers to shy away from “tricks” such as sprinkling salt, or sponging-in foliage; they can look too mechanical and decorative.

Carole has been a professional, self-employed artist all her working life. She studied art at St Albans School of Art and then at Leicester College of Art & Design (now De Montford University) before following a successful career as a commercial artist running her own design business for 25 years.

She returned to her first love of painting, quickly gaining a reputation for her sensitive and timeless portraits. Her subjects have included members of the royal family, celebrities and leading public figures.

She was very honoured to have her painting of Sir Charles Bean, retiring Deputy Governor of the Bank of England, chosen as his official portrait to hang in the Bank of England.

Carole is a popular art tutor and demonstrator whose work is in private collections in Europe, the USA and the Far East. She is an accomplished all-rounder working in watercolour, water soluble pencils, acrylics, pastel, water based oils and mixed media. She was runner up in the Artist and Illustrator magazine in their "Artist of the Year" competition with her painting in acrylics "Reflections 3”, featured in the gallery. She has exhibited at the SWA exhibition at the Mall Galleries, across East Anglia and in France.

Jane has always loved drawing and early on knew she wanted to continue pursuing her art alongside her love of literature which led her to study a degree in Arts and Humanities at De Montfort University in the early 90’s. Over the last 6 years Jane has developed her painting and drawing style bringing new techniques from time spent print making and learning about art history. As well as painting expressive, textural landscapes Jane regularly takes commissions for pet portraits in soft pastels and continues to enjoy painting illustrative watercolours inspired by stained glass. More recently she has enjoyed experimenting with collage and giving online talks with demonstrations of collage techniques to art societies.

Brin paints wildlife and landscapes in oils and acrylics concentrating on light and atmosphere. He is a member of the Society of Wildlife Artists and shows his work at The Mall Galleries in London. Brin has taken part in several art residencies with the SWLA and also with the Artists for Nature Foundation.

Wayne was born in London but has lived in Long Melford since his family moved there in the early 1960’s. Since completing his training as a sign writer Wayne has travelled throughout the UK and his overseas work has taken him to Bahrain, Zambia, and many European countries including Spain, Holland and Belgium. His work includes sign writing hotels, pubs and traditional shop fascias. His private commissions include work on Chris Rea’s video “Go Your Own Way”, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and the Museum of Royal Worcester.

As a lettering artist, Wayne’s solo exhibitions have been held in Cambridge, London, and his home county of Suffolk. His exhibitions and art have been featured on TV and in national newspapers.

Well known talented artist and popular demonstrator returns this evening for another of his fascinating acrylic painting demonstration in which, from seemingly muddled slashes and daubs of colour applied with 3–4-inch brushes emerge a wonderful piece of art, capturing the original image in glowing colours and sparkling light.