Original artwork by Vanna Bartlett and photographs by Jeremy Bartlett
About Vanna Art
Vanna Art is a small business based in Norwich, Norfolk and run by
Vanna Bartlett, who specialises in botanical studies of
flowers, fruit and vegetables and acrylic canvases depicting plants and wildlife in the landscape. She also produces paintings and drawings in
other media.
Vanna's artworks are available as fine quality greetings cards, limited edition prints, coasters and placemats as well as original paintings. Vanna is happy to undertake commissions.
We also sell photographic cards and prints by Vanna's husband Jeremy. To get in touch with Vanna or buy, please use our Online Shop or contact us. Click here for a list of outlets for Vanna Art products.
Vanna - Artistic Statement
Background
I was born in Bradwell in Suffolk, but have lived in
Norwich since I was around seven years old. I have drawn and painted for as long as I can remember. I grew up with an equal love
for nature and for drawing – if I was outside then I would be watching wildlife and indoors I would invariably have a pencil in my hand.
At school I studied art to A level standard but remain largely self-taught. Much of my early work was in pen and ink, copying photographs of birds and emulating the woodcuts and engravings that I greatly admire.
In the 1990s I did a lot of volunteer conservation work on Norfolk nature reserves. This was a way to give something back for the great pleasure that wildlife has given me over the years and was also an excellent opportunity to see even more wildlife. It also gave me a greater understanding of the relationships between plants, animals and their environment. At this time I began keeping field sketchbooks and working more from life as well as memory.
In 1999 I got an allotment which soon took up all my spare time. An interest in growing fruit and vegetables soon developed into one for painting them – I would grow varieties as much for their artistic merits as for their flavours. I concentrated on painting watercolours and created a series of fruit and vegetable greetings cards.
Approach to Work
Although the botanical work was very rewarding, I felt that I wanted to express myself more in my painting so I began experimenting with acrylics. I usually work from a combination of
field sketches and memory to work out the initial idea for a painting. Often I will do detailed pencil drawings and watercolours of particular elements for reference before starting on the canvas. For fine details, such as on butterflies, I do use my own photographs and readily check the finer points in reference books. The resulting paintings are bold in both colour and
composition, giving them a very individual feel.
This approach is a complete antidote to the watercolours. It allows me to loosen up and be much more expressive in my depictions whilst still striving for accuracy. For me, the process of developing a painting is sometimes more interesting than the final picture. It really makes me study the subjects more intensely and think about the relationships within the composition.
I don’t like to ‘sit still’ with my artwork and am constantly experimenting with new techniques, often painting a particular subject several times in different media. This allows me to explore the subject more thoroughly, exploiting the qualities of each medium to different effect. This often gets reflected in subsequent paintings. I particularly like linocuts with their crisp colours and clean lines. It’s a technique that I use occasionally and hope to devote more time to in the future. Several of my more decorative acrylics have been greatly influenced by this method of printing.
Recent Exhibitions
2007 – 2011: I have exhibited regularly in Norwich at several venues, including
Norwich Puppet Theatre, Norwich Assembly House and Norwich Playhouse.
2008 - Two exhibitions in Holt.
2009 - Wells-next-the-Sea.
2010 - Pinsharp Gallery, Little Walsingham (November 2010 onwards).
2010 - participated in Norfolk Open Studios for the first time.
Commissions
I am more than happy to undertake commissions – please contact me with your requirements.
About Jeremy
Jeremy grew up near Aberdeen in the north of Scotland and moved to Norwich in the mid nineteen
eighties. Like many others, he found he couldn't leave!
He has been taking photographs for many years, firstly using 35mm film and now digital, and is inspired by Norfolk's wildlife and open landscapes, as well as woodland and mountain landscapes further afield.
Jeremy accompanies Vanna on her sketching trips and takes reference photographs for her to use back in the studio when working up the drawings into full scale paintings. The photographs have proved popular and indeed are artworks in themselves so Vanna has selected some of them to be made into greetings cards and prints.
Jeremy had his first photographic exhibition at 'Art of Norwich 11' in St. Margaret's Church in Norwich in April 2010.
View the photo gallery for Jeremy's exhibitions here (opens in a new window).
Jeremy also runs a small web design business, Design Different, and built this website.
All images copyright © Vanna Art 2008 -
. Web design © 2008 -
Design Different
Vanna Art is solely owned and run as a sole trader by Vanna Bartlett.
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