Gary lives and works in Dorset. He is an elected member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours (RI), where hehas been awarded The Frank Herring Easel Prize for an outstanding work, the Society of Graphic Fine Art (SGFA) where he has twice been awarded Best in Show at their annual exhibitions and an elected member of The Arborealists. He writes regularly for Resurgence & Ecologist magazine and the Dorset Magazine. He sits on the councils of the RI and SGFA.

He graduated from Bournemouth in 1987 and was made a fellow of the university in 1999. He is an environmental painter who explores our complicated relationship with and often detrimental impact on nature. The combination of naturalistic painting and narrative script that characterise his watercolours are a direct result of his background in the newspaper industry where he was an associate editor and the senior artist for The Sunday Times for 26 years, winning many international awards for his illustrations. 

"…Working for a newspaper, I often produced diagrams highlighting environmental problems. In the last decade as a painter, including an environmental message in each piece has been very important to me. For example, oak trees provide the habitat for around 2,300 different species from bats to beetles and lichens to mammals. The names and silhouettes of some of these species are discreetly included in my paintings. I always feel a deep connection and a sense of wellbeing when under the tree canopy. Being able to combine this joy with painting is such a privilege…”

Born, London 1956. Moved to Chilmark, west Wiltshire aged 12.

Chris has a B.A. Hons in Fine Art from the University of North London.  After this he continued to study as a painter but went on to become a widely admired, innovative fashion photographer, travelling extensively.

In 2003, to deepen his involvement in art, he moved back to quiet, rural Wiltshire to further develop his painting with immediate success.

A love of watercolour manifested in ambitious large-scale paintings that were exhibited widely; the Bettles Gallery, Ringwood, Salisbury Arts Centre, the famous “Colour Rush” show with Ursular Leach and Brian Bishop. In 2010, selected for the Royal Institute of Watercolour Painters annual show at the Mall Galleries. Selections followed for the Royal West of England Academy annual shows, Bristol and chosen to exhibit at the first “Other Art Fair”.

Selected by Samir Ceric for Debut Contemporary; an award-winning art incubator with a professional development platform and contemporary art gallery space in Notting Hill.

Now a passion for oil paint has become an outlet for his love of the abstract beauty of colour and his deeply held love of our natural world in the south west of Wiltshire both combining into a ravishing celebration of the thrillingly intense, sensuality of being alive.

Percy Lizzard studied at the Royal College of Art, tutored by some of the leading contemporary artists of the time. His paintings, which often feature brightly- coloured birds, fish and plants are influenced by the natural world and far-away destinations.

His work can be found in many private collections at home and abroad. A number of his paintings were purchased in the refurbishment of Restormel Manor, Prince Charles’s Cornish residence.

Tonia Gunstone is a Wiltshire-based artist. She qualified from Kingston University with a BA Hons degree in Art History and French in 1994. Her work is intrinsically bound up in landscape. Tonia draws inspiration from walking in wild places; woodland and forest, mountains, glaciers and coastal paths.  An enduring curiosity and love of travel has allowed for exploration of different locations and cultures, providing opportunities to delve deeper into our understanding of place.

Tonia's work evolves organically.  She uses line, texture and colour in an experimental and instinctive way, often following a line of enquiry which connects previous work to current projects in order to communicate her connection to the places which inspire.

"For me, landscape is more than the topographical elements of a geographical location.  It is the reflection of time passing, a visual record of human activity and global history; it gently reminds us of the importance of reconnecting with ourselves".

Tonia's work can be found in private collections in the UK, Europe and North America.  She is a regular participant in the Wylye Valley Art Trail.  Current projects include Artists in Dialogue: Vocabulary of Hope, and work inspired by the Wari textiles of ancient Peru.

Central to Emma’s practice is a deep rooted affinity with the natural world.

Emma’s intuitive approach draws upon her emotional connection to the landscape in which she grew up. Subtle hues and washes convey a sense of calm and contemplation, a fleeting moment captured, a memory recalled.

Utilising mainly acrylic on raw canvas, Emma adopts a minimal approach to painting, resulting in emotionally charged abstract works.

“I approach painting in much the same way I go out walking; there is no rigid plan or direction as such, I let my instincts and curiosity guide me. The possibility of chance, the unexpected, is what drives me to keep pushing, exploring further, and this in turn feeds directly into my painting practice, the surrounding landscape becoming an extension of my studio”.

Emma lives and works in Wiltshire, United Kingdom.

I am a visual artist living and working in North Dorset. I have been drawing and painting in my rural environment for many years. Studying for an MA in Fine Art has recently led to a more personal reflective, investigative practice. A career in therapeutic and child protection Social work, underpins my current work. I am utilising the Genogram model, embedded in Family Systems Theory, to tell  stories.

Hi, I’m a wife and mum of three boys and I create my art at home in a rural Dorset village, UK.

I have loved making things all my life, but never considered taking my art more seriously until recently. I always assumed that a career in art was for the naturally gifted few.

I realise now that we are all creative, it’s a fundamental aspect of being human. In 2021 I decided to prioritise time for my painting, it felt as though the sun broke through the clouds and I haven’t put my paintbrush down since! I love attending art courses online and in person to keep my practice fresh and meet other artists.

I love painting expressive abstracts; I feel that their ambiguity and spaciousness allow imagination and possibilities to thrive.

I strive to create art that feels alive, brave and playful through my expressive marks and gestures.

When I paint it feels like breathing, it’s where I feel most in-tune with myself, I want my paintings to have spirit and help you breath also.

I hope that the viewer recognises something of themselves in my art, maybe something surprising, human and honest.