Woodland Creatures - SOLD OUT
By Anita Saunders
Original artworks
Oil and acrylic on stretched canvas
Framed
Image size: H: 100 x 40cm
£895 each
Titles, in order as above: First Steps (SOLD), The Leader (SOLD), All Ears (SOLD)
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, has attracted collectors and much admiration and, in her latest approach, has made thoughtfiul strides forward in the last 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.
In 2024-25 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, Fox and Hare 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.
“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. And no wonder she has already won commissions on the back of these pieces.
ABOUT ANITA SAUNDERS
Anita was born and raised in The Cotswolds, in an 'area of outstanding natural beauty', which has been the life-long inspiration for her work.
Graduating with a BA in Fine Art from Exeter, today she works from her garden studio in the Wiltshire countryside, creating mainly in oil paint and traditional printmaking methods, a love of drawing underlying her work.
British wildlife and farm animals, together with the abundant flora of the hedgerows, are a constant source of inspiration. Hares, sheep, cattle and chickens appear time and again in Anita’s compositions. Her strictly limited editioned, hand-carved lino prints and hand-drawn and printed screen prints contain an extraordinary number of layers - often more than 20 - resulting in joyful prints which fizz with vibrant colour. Her oil paintings often incorporate copper and gold leaf, to enhance rich colours and reflect light.
“My aim is to reflect my personal admiration and respect for living things by creating artworks which capture a sense of their vital spark, to somehow elevate the subject from the ordinary or everyday. I love what I do and hope some of the joy I experience, when creating it, is shared with others when they look at it.”
Anita’s prints are gaining recognition, with work selected for inclusion in the Society of Women Artists Open exhibition, Mall Galleries, London in 2022 & 2023, the Bath Society of Artists Open Exhibition 2023 and Ironbridge Fine Art Printmakers 2023. Her miniature wildlife paintings on gold and copper leaf are exclusive to us and have attracted great admiration since the turn of 2024 when her first collection sold out.