About Me

My name is Fiona and I am a classically-trained and qualified Fine Artist who specialises in Wildlife and Pet Portraits in Coloured Pencil.

Working out of my studio in beautiful Surrey, England, much of my work is influenced by my regular English countryside walks with my husband, daughter and Cocker spaniel, however I am also continually and forever inspired by the majestic wildlife of my native country South Africa. Animals have, and always will be, my most beloved subject matter, which is why the bulk of my work consists of pet portraits and wildlife commissions. 

The feel of pencil on paper has always provided a hypnotic feel for me and it is for this reason that I work solely in this medium and I go to great lengths to try to capture not just a true likeness of my subjects, but more importantly, the very essence of the animal. The nature of my work is highly detailed and I take great care in rendering each tiny hair, feather or scale, while at the same time attempting to carefully capture the very heart and personality of each and every one of my subjects. This means that a single drawing can take me up to 6 weeks to complete.

Animals and drawing have always been my greatest loves, and as a child I was often either drawing different creatures or trying to rescue insects, birds, and geckos from my garden (and sadly, from the claws of my beloved pet cats too!) Due to this it was no great surprise to my parents that I went on to study for a degree in Fine Art and Print Making at Rhodes University. Soon after this, having moved to England, my girlhood compulsion to rehabilitate animals lead to me qualifying as a Veterinary Nurse and was a field in which I enjoyed a rewarding 15 year career. Later, after becoming a mum, thevfamiliar compulsion to pick up my pencils returned, and in 2019 I began to market my drawings.