Wheathills Marquetry Art Exhibition

'I have drawn ever since I could properly hold a pencil.  I used to sit poised with my pencils and felt tips, wondering what I could draw.

I repeatedly drew the Sparrows, Pigeons and various garden birds that I saw from the window. Sometimes I drew the neighbour’s cat or the dogs that I saw being walked past our house regularly. And if I was lucky, I got to sketch the Rag and Bone man’s horse!

As I got older, I found a wider variety of creatures to draw and paint. I was fortunate to grow up in an area of Derbyshire surrounded by parks and countryside and subject matter was everywhere. I worked as a Farm Labourer after leaving school, which gave me a greater understanding of animals and the countryside. It also provided greater access to native wildlife and animals at close quarters, which enabled me to practice my drawing skills.

Drawing and painting became my passion and as I grew older, I knew that one day I wanted to become a professional Artist and share my love of the natural world with others through my art, as well as make a living out of the thing I love doing above all else.
Everyday life sometimes prevents us or makes it difficult for us to get out in Nature and connect with the outdoors. So, my paintings, for me at least, have provided a link to Wildlife. Not everybody has the opportunity, finance or inclination to visit the places where many species reside, let alone visit the Serengeti to observe Lions or Cheetahs in the wild. With that in mind, in recent years , I have produced the occasional, non native (to the UK) wildlife subject to my portfolio.
Depicting Wildlife subjects in my art is also a tribute to their existence in the world and a way to admire them in a non intrusive way and at the same time,  maybe highlight their endangered status and hopefully bring about more awareness to their plight and the ongoing efforts of conservation organisations.

From a personal perspective, painting Animals and Wildlife brings me a greater understanding, admiration and appreciation of the creatures that share my world.
It is my way of honouring and paying tribute to their existence and beauty even more.

My art brings me joy and I hope it can do likewise for those who behold it.'

Gina-Marie Collins

Purple Pixie’s Art
@purplepixiepetportraits