Gwen Kitching

I was born in 1952 and drew almost obsessively throughout my childhood. I was frequently in trouble with my teachers for drawing horses all over the covers of my exercise books and sometimes on the insides as well! On leaving school I worked with greyhounds for five years (and drew pictures of the dogs for the girls who looked after them. ) After that I had a job with a firm of heraldic artists for 16 years. Painting repetitively for 8 hours a day eventually killed any interest in drawing for a hobby and I did no work of my own in this time and for several years after leaving.

Once I did start again I found that the stylised way I had been taught to paint had affected the way I now worked and I didn't like it at all. I was on the verge of giving up altogether. Then I went to one 
of the art festivals at Ilkley winter gardens and I saw a stand offering a set of ten coloured pencils very cheaply. They were promoting them as a way of doing watercolour paintings which was what I was trying to do at the time. I took them home and they changed my artistic life. I never did use them as watercolours - they seemed so easy and intuitive to use in their own right that my work improved instantly. My husband bought me Bernie Poulins "The complete coloured pencil book" for Christmas that year and I have never looked back.

I now work in both coloured pencil and chromacolour, mostly separately but sometimes together. At one time I tried to follow all the "rules" about what to paint and how to paint it. Now I just do the kind of work I want in the way that gives me most pleasure. Painting Portraits of animals as realistically as I can manage may not be cutting edge art but I love it.

Recently I have been asked to do commissions of animals for several people and these have all been well received. I have had work accepted for the Hull Ferens Art Gallery's open exhibitions on 3 occasions and have sold several works at my local art groups annual shows. Now I am looking to improve both technique and subject matter and as well as being a founder member of UKCPS I am also a member of The Wildlife Art Society.

I accept commissioned work which I produce exclusively in coloured pencil, horses are a particular speciality.

Contact details:

1 Limetree
Gilberdyke
BROUGH
E Yorkshire
HU15 2TX
Tel: 01430 440896
E-mail: gsk[at]gskdesigns.demon.co.uk
Website: www.portraits-in-pencil.co.uk