I’d known my career would be art based while I was still in primary school. Painting in watercolour I would spend hours experimenting and practicing at home to perfect wet-in-wet cloud effects. This was later followed by a life size owl in flight on my bedroom wall in oils and then a life size herd of impala on another wall! I sold my first artwork when I was 15 and at 20 was producing small oil paintings that were sold by a man with a market stall in Warrington, near where I lived. They were sometimes still wet when I delivered them but he said they were the most popular! While raising my older children during the early 90’s I painted portraits for local clients and sold other artwork including landscapes through gift shops.
I’m not exaggerating to say that money was short and the income from sold paintings meant we didn’t have to live on beans for the week!
I started out painting commissions of all kinds including formal portraits of children and family groups and some unusual ones – a racing motorbike and stock car rally winners! But over the last 20 years my focus shifted to dog and horse portraits and as my reputation grew, they became my specialty.
I’m now known and respected for my life-like and highly detailed paintings and drawings of dogs and horses. If you’re thinking of commissioning a portrait please get in touch and I look forward to hearing from you.
Personal info
Pippa was born in Oxford in 1968 and brought up in Appleton, Cheshire. After living and working in Berkshire for several years she settled in the pleasant market town of Horncastle, Lincolnshire where she raised her five children and built her business and reputation in horse and dog portraiture. Pippa now lives in the village of Bramley, South Yorkshire with her two youngest children and runs the the Horse & Hound Gallery and studio.
Professional Info
Pippa is a professional artist working in the Lincolnshire and Yorkshire areas since 1997 specialising in dog portraits, horse portraits and other portraiture. She now paints artwork for clients all around the world as well as within the UK.
Her portraits are commissioned by institutions including private schools and hunts as well as private clients. Her portraits hang in private collections throughout the UK, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, America and Canada.
As a qualified tutor her services include teaching private and local authority art classes, demonstrations to art groups and leading workshops in schools and residential homes.
She worked as a freelance stonemason’s artist for a Monumental Mason in Lincolnshire for 18 years until moving to South Yorkshire in 2015. This involved the design and etching of unique, personal artwork for headstones and memorials.
Her work has been exhibited in galleries and exhibitions in Boston, Horncastle and Rotherham and she is a member of Lincolnshire Professional Artists and ROAR (Rotherham Art Renaissance).
While living in Horncastle Lincolnshire, Pippa also painted the set and backdrops for The Red Lion Theatre. This included a variety of pantomimes, musicals and plays.
In 2014 and 2016 Pippa went on air to discuss portraits for two radio stations, BBC Radio Lincolnshire and Radio Sheffield. The former, a half hour interview in the studio and the latter as part of an on air discussion regarding pet bereavement and memorials.
Further Education and Qualifications
University of Lincoln
2005 – BA (Hons) Graphic Design and Illustration
City & Guilds
2003 – NVQ 3 – Delivery of Learning
Related Professional Experience
Tutor in Adult Education
2003 – present
I’ve enjoyed teaching a variety of art classes, for beginners’ to masterclass in all mediums for Local Authority, colleges, Education Centres, private art groups and individuals and presented demonstrations to large and small art groups around the Lincolnshire area as well as leading workshops in schools and Residential Homes.
Stonemason’s Artist
1998 – 2015
This rewarding work involved designing and producing unique and specific images for headstones and memorials. The artwork was created by carefully sandblasting by hand and detail could be added with a diamond tipped etching tool. The finished artwork was sometimes painted and varnished or ‘silvered’.
Graphic Design and Print
1999 – 2005
During this time I worked in two busy digital departments. My roles included photo restoration and digital imaging, graphic design, printing and lamination of large format graphics and banners and other short run design, editing and printing.
Professional Affiliations
LINCOLNSHIRE PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS
ROAR – (Rotherham Art Renaissance)
Artistic Inspiration
I have two favourite Artists.
Sir Peter Blake – I love his achingly beautiful, ethereal Alice in Wonderland illustrations and Fairy portraits, Album covers, Collages and Collections.
Norman Rockwell – His illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post are truly wonderful, sometimes whimsical sometimes subtle storytelling. Beautifully detailed yet painted with such an expressive and light hand.
Favourite Quote
“You make it look so easy!”
”I haven’t slept for five days!”
Anonymous Artist
Fun Facts
I always listen to music while I’m painting: Radio 2 or jazz, folk, rock and blues and drink gallons of tea.. which has always gone cold by the time I put my paintbrush down for a break.
When I’ve been concentrating on a painting for a few hours I find it helpful to get on my exercise bike or cross trainer to get a burst of energy before carrying on again.
Because I work on each portrait for many hours, studying the reference photos deeply I often get a feeling for the character of my subject and have conversations with them in my head. When this happens I’m always sorry when the finished portrait leaves my studio. But knowing the painting will give years of pleasure and is being appreciated is a truly wonderful feeling.
Getting in Touch
Horse & Hound Gallery
95B Main Street
Bramley
Rotherham
South Yorkshire
S66 2SE
pippa@horse-portraits.com
01709 927864