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Call of the wild: exploring new ideas in animal art

The second in our series of blogs highlighting why our artists stand out from the crowd and offer all kinds of rewards to their buyers...


One of the privileges of working closely with regional artists is witnessing their developments in concept and style – and, on some truly satisfying occasions, supporting or prompting their next steps or experimentation, often to great acclaim.


Wiltshire artist, Anita Saunders, is a prime example: she always caught our eye and has made strides forward this year.


Creating in her garden studio, which nestles between the vegetable patch and a view across to a former gravel pit - now a lake and a haven for wildlife - her clear and consistent love of animals shines through and chimes loudly with the Gallery's values: “I aim to reflect my admiration and respect for living things by creating artworks which capture their vital spark. I want to elevate the subject from the ordinary or everyday. I love what I do and hope some of the creative joy I experience is shared with viewers and buyers."



Her special bond with wildlife dates back to her early days: “My brother and I spent a lot of our childhood roaming the fields and woods around Eastington and Northleach, where I was born. My grandad was a shepherd, so we were often with him, helping with his flock. I have incredible memories of bottle-feeding sick or orphaned lambs, watching the men in the shearing shed and helping to bundle up the fleeces, of walking the fields and of learning about the birds and animals we met along the way. We were very much a part of the natural world and, through our parents and grandparents, were taught to treasure and respect it.


“I was always collecting sick or injured birds and animals and taking them home to look after. This hasn’t left me and it’s still common for us to have the odd fosterling to care for.”


Anita at work, with a duck fosterling at her feet

In 2024 we've seen Anita consciously extend and test her creative powers, trying out new techniques and standing back to review her work and aim to unify its approach. In her latest Fawn and Fox narrow linear works, she has begun to fuse her painting, printing and stained glass approaches to create a graphic, fresh style that focuses on detail and pattern.


“Having exhibited my paintings, original prints, fabrics and stained glass together in solo exhibitions, some visitors remarked that they thought the work was by different artists. This observation made me reconsider the work as a whole. I value the flexibility of working across disciplines, but it’s also important to me that my work has a sense of unity.


“So, for my recent paintings, I set out to create images with a cohesive appearance with work in other media but also retaining a painterly quality: I love the graphic quality of lino and screen print, enjoy creating repeat patterns through fabric design and the dark outlines and bold colours of stained glass, so I've applied this technique across media. I’m enjoying the process and where it’s taking me and I think this route offers me lots more potential to explore.”


We love this new and evolving direction in Anita's latest work and the reaction it's been winning in the Gallery. No wonder we chose it as the motif of our Wild Things winter 2024 exhibition.




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