Gallery Exhibition: Chris Sinden SWLA and Jackie Cox
Come and see beautiful wildlife-inspired pictures in our visitor centre, and treat yourself to a work of art to take home.
"Taking Care of the Youngster" - hand-coloured scraperboard by Jackie Cox
Entry included with admission, open daily.
Artist Summaries:
Jackie Cox
"I inherited my talent for art from my grandparents, both of whom were freelance illustrators, so I was always drawing from a young age. When I left school to become an animal nurse at a veterinary practice in Margate, I found that the overnight patients made marvellous subjects and I started doing animal portraits".
In 1981 Jackie had her first exhibition in Tewkesbury and since then has exhibited her work around the UK and abroad.
She moved to the Forest of Dean in 2001 where she had the opportunity to take over a local art class.
"I have always been interested in trying out different mediums and surfaces and this has stood me in good stead now that I am an art teacher".
Jackie was lucky enough to be invited to “teach” Countryfile presenter Ellie Harrison when the BBC filmed at Nature in Art for their “Art in the Countryside” episode. The programme was first aired on June 20th 2021.
Jackie regularly exhibits with the Society of Feline Artists, the UK Coloured Pencil Society (of which she is a member and has won several awards) the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art (another award!) and has exhibited with the Society of Equine Artists and the Society of Wildlife Artists.
"These successes have spurred me on to further experiment in new mediums, concentrating even more on light, shadows and nuances of colour".
Jackie lives and works in the Forest of Dean where her art classes continue to go from strength to strength.
Chris Sinden SWLA
After five years at Hastings School of Art and Canterbury College of Art, and with an Honours Degree in Graphic Design under his belt, Sussex born Chris Sinden joined the world of advertising.
For the next 30 years he worked as an art director for various advertising agencies in London and in Oslo, Norway.
It was in 2001, while he was living in Søgne (Norway), that Chris learnt how to cut lino.
"My first prints were of local views but I soon turned my hand to quirky humour
and in 2004 two of my 'Dirty Habit' prints were selected to hang in Sørlandsutstillingen an exhibition that toured Southern Norway".
Chris returned to the UK in 2005 and began to specialise in wildlife subjects.
"While some of my linocuts have a more conventional format, I have developed a collage-style of printing where smaller images butt up against each other to make a larger final picture". Chris has exhibited these complicated linocuts with the Society of Wildlife Artists every year since 2007 and in 2015 he was elected Full Membership of the Society.
Chris lives and works in the Forest of Dean.
