W&N materials used
Artists’ Water Colour
About Jackie Garner
I’m a wildlife artist based in Gloucestershire, England. I trained at Medway College of Design, but worked mostly on 3D projects, so as a painter I’m largely self-taught. I exhibit regularly, either solely or in group exhibitions. I used to concentrate on British wildlife art, but a four-week trip to the Falkland Islands provided plenty of inspiration and led to my reputation for penguin paintings.
Latterly I've been concentrating on illustrations for a book on the wildlife art of ancient Egypt, which included an amazing six-week field trip investigating the art techniques and materials used inside the tombs and temples. In 2009 I established a new studio near Stroud, enabling me to take on more illustration work and expand my range of wild life art paintings, cards and puzzles.
My paintings of nature and wildlife have been shown on BBC television and are held in collections as far afield as the Falkland Islands, Trinidad, Australia and South Africa. I was elected to fellowship of the RSA in 2006.
Jackie Garner's Work
I’ve always loved observational drawing and the challenge of making my subject come alive on paper. I believe drawing skills are important and learning to draw is a lifelong process that enables the artist’s voice to become more communicative, essential and elegant.
As a wildlife artist I work from live subjects whenever possible, usually working in pencil, acrylics or watercolour. My watercolours employ a mixture of wet-into-wet and wet-into-dry techniques. I believe an artist should be able to work at various scales and in different media so I also enjoy life drawing and still life, for which I use oils, charcoal or pastel.
My main inspirations are: British wildlife, natural history as depicted in ancient Egyptian art, wildlife of the Falkland Islands and then wildlife of anywhere else. I’m particularly interested in the way wildlife fits in to its environment through repeating shapes and colours.
My latest project investigates the way wildlife was depicted in ancient Egyptian art. It involves producing accurate reproductions of the Egyptian art alongside images of the wildlife they had portrayed. In addition to the commissioned part of the project I am free to produce work according to my own inspirations.
Jackie Garner uses Winsor & Newton because
I insist on best quality art materials which are consistent and reliable. I may sometimes fight the painting but I know I won’t have to fight the materials.
For further information on Jackie Garner visit:
http://www.jackiegarner.co.uk
http://garnerwildlifeart.wordpress.com/
http://twitter.com/garnerart