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Nicky Jones - Animal Artist / Wildlife Artist / Botanical Artist
Covering a wide range of subjects including Animal Art, Pet Portraiture, Pet Art, Animal
Portraits, Animal Paintings, Wildlife Paintings, Wildlife Art, Nature Art, Bird Art,
Miniature Art, Botanical Art, Floral Paintings
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I have been sketching and painting animals, birds, flowers, and even insects for as long as I can remember, and I have always had a great love of nature and wildlife art. School projects were often embellished with extra drawings of animals and birds, sometimes to the annoyance of my teachers. My art teacher even once wrote
in my school report ".....she tends to be rather exclusively concerned with horses at the present....." Having such a great love for animals I even thought about studying to become a vet, but science has never been my strong subject. However, that didn't stop me from bringing home all sorts of waifs and strays!
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I think life would be very dull without our amazing furry and feathered friends. They make the world a more beautiful place to live in and they add humour and amazement to our busy and stressful lives, with their zest for life and survival. What better way is there to entertain ourselves than to study all creatures
great and small?
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I previously worked with a small group of artists
producing hand-painted
items for an exclusive interior design shop in Sloane Square, London.
With my ability to produce lifelike pet art and animal portraits from photographs,
I accepted the challenge of painting commissioned portraits of animals, mainly miniatures on raw silk, for customers of the shop (see the Miniatures Galleries for examples),
and realised I had found my true vocation. Although the shop has since closed, I now have
my own studio which enables me to concentrate on painting portraits
of animals as an animal artist for a living. I receive most of my
commissioned work from my website, and from the recommendations of previous customers,
many of whom come back for further portraits of other family pets. I am also now extending my range of wildlife art, animal paintings and nature art.
Painting for a living is something that I have always wanted to do, and it still gives me such a thrill to produce a piece of artwork that someone will treasure for years to come. I have always enjoyed drawing and painting animals for my pleasure, but the real pleasure comes from the look of joy on someone’s face as they are presented with their pet art portrait, or when I receive a letter to say that the portrait of their pet had brought tears to their eyes.
I live in Oxfordshire with my wonderful husband, Leslie, and our two fabulous cats, Jake and Holly. As well as painting animals, my other interests include gardening, dressmaking, and dancing – we run The Oxford Swing Dance Society with friends, teaching weekly Lindy Hop/ Swing dance classes and workshops.
I hope
you enjoy your visit to my website. If
you would like to commission a pet art portrait or wildlife painting, or if you would like to leave your
comments, then I would love to hear from you.
Please e-mail me, and if you leave your telephone number I will call you back, or you can call me on 01235 529895.
Exhibitions/Galleries/Craft Shows
2011
Abingdon Artists Autumn Exhibition. Roysse Room, The Guildhall, Abbey Close, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 3HL. Saturday 22 October to Saturday 29 October 10.00am - 5.00pm daily. Free Entry. I will be exhibiting three new paintings, as well as my Fox painting and Bulldog, "Am I Bothered?".
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The RSPCA Blackberry Farm Fun Day and Dog Show. Blackberry Farm, Blackgrove Road, Quainton, Bucks HP22 4RJ. Sunday 24 July, 11.00am - 4.00pm. Last year they raised £9,000, so come along and help support the RSPCA.
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Art in Chalgrove. John Hampden Hall, High Street, Chalgrove, Oxon OX44 7ST. Saturday 4 June, 10.00am - 6.00pm. Exhibiting alongside a group of local artists.
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Abingdon Artists Spring Exhibition as part of Oxfordshire Artweeks. St Helen's Church, Abingdon, Saturday 7 - Saturday 14 May 2011. My Yellow Labrador painting, "Gigha", was most voted for by visitors to the exhibition.
2010
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Abingdon Artists Autumn Exhibition, St Helen's Church, Abingdon, Saturday 11 - Sunday 18 September 2010. My Kingfisher painting was most voted for by visitors of the exhibition.
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Cornerstone Arts Centre, 25 Station Road, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 7NE, 11 - 29 August, 10.00am - 6.00pm (closed from 22-25
August). Exhibiting my Fox painting as part of an exhibition by a selection of the Abingdon Artists group.
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Artweeks (Oxfordshire Visual Arts Festival) Stewart Village Hall, West End, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, OX10 0RY. Friday 21 May to Sunday 23 May 2010, 11.00am-6.00pm (Meet the artists 7.00 - 9.00pm on Friday). There are seven artists (including myself) exhibiting at this venue, all with uniquely different styles. It is a lovely old building, situated in the beautiful village of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, placed between Didcot and Wallingford. View our listings on pages 67 and 68 of the the Artweeks Guide (guide numbers 265 - 271), or click on the Artweeks link
to view details on their website. Free entry.
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Art in Burford, Warwick Hall, Burford, Oxon, Friday 16 and Saturday 17 April 2010, Friday 12.00pm - 5.00pm and Saturday 10.00am to 5.00pm. Free entry.
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Abingdon Artists Spring Exhibition, St Ethelwold's House, 30 East St Helen Street, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 5EB, Saturday 20 March - Saturday 27 March 2010. My painting of the Fox was most voted for by visitors of the exhibition.
2009
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Art Exhibition, Steventon Village Hall, Steventon, Nr Didcot, Saturday 14 November - Sunday 15 November 2009.
- Craft Fair, Steventon Village Hall, Steventon, Nr Didcot, Sunday 8 November 2009.
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Abingdon Artists Autumn Exhibition, St Helen's Church, Abingdon, Saturday 5 September - Sunday 13 September 2009. My painting "Am I Bothered?" was most voted for by visitors to the exhibition.
- Lambourn Carnival Horse Show, Sunday 28 June 2009.
- Fun Dog Show, Radley, Saturday 20 June 2009.
- Scruffs Dog Show - East Ilsley Sheep Fair 2009, Sunday 7 June 2009.
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Artweeks (Oxfordshire Visual Arts Festival) Village Hall, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, OX10 0RY, 22 - 25 May 2009. There are seven artists (including myself for the first time) exhibiting at this venue, all with uniquely different styles. It is a lovely old building, situated in the beautiful village
of Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, placed between Didcot and Wallingford. View our listings on pages 85 and 86 of the the Artweeks Guide (guide numbers 377 - 383), or click on the link to view details on the website.
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Fun Dog Show Kennington, Nr Oxford, Sunday 10 May 2009. Featuring Lynne Davies from BBC 3's Dog Borstal. Do come and see me on my stall and say hello.
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Guerilla Gallery, Saturday 25 April 2009, 12.30-1.30pm. A group of about 50 artists gathered in Bonn Square, Oxford, to exhibit their work to passers-by as an "instant" gallery, a taster for the Artweeks festival in May. Great weather, lots of fun, and loads of interest.
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Abingdon Artists Spring Exhibition, St Nicolas' Church, Abingdon, Monday 30 March - Saturday 4 April 2009. Over 120 paintings were exhibited this year by local artists.
2008
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Abingdon Artists Autumn Exhibition, St Nicolas' Church, Abingdon, Monday 20 October - Saturday 25 Octoberl 2008.
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Whistler's Gallery, Lechlade, Gloucestershire, where some of my miniature portraits/paperweights were exhibited for sale.
2006
TV/Media
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Lotus Magma 'Off the Cuff', an online art magazine
aimed at raising
awareness and equality within the arts. My work was featured in the March 2010 issue of the magazine.
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The Daily Mail, 3 December 2007. A portrait of "Dexter" and his owner were featured, alongside other pet owners with their pet portraits. Click here to read the article and view Dexter's portrait.
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The Paul O'Grady Show, April 2006. Paul O'Grady introduced a paperweight portrait of his little Shitzu, Buster, I had painted and sent in to the show.
© Copyright Nicky Jones, Pet Portrait and Animal Artist 1996-2012. All artwork on this site is protected by copyright law
and may not be copied, downloaded or used without permission from the artist. All rights reserved worldwide.
57 Selwyn Crescent, Radley, Oxon, UK Tel (01235) 529895
nicky@faithfulfriendsportraits.co.uk
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