"Wildlife artist, Jackie Garner"... I've been painting wildlife and the natural world for over 30 years. I originally trained at Medway College of Design, before becoming the part-time education officer at Gloucestershire's Nature in Art. That role allowed me to indulge my love of wildlife art, and I was inspired - and taught - by some of the great British wildlife artists - Robert Gillmor, Peter Partington, Bruce Pearson, Greg Poole... Before I knew it my metamorphosis from a "naturalist interested in art" to an "artist interested in nature" was complete.

My wildlife paintings mostly concentrate on British animals and birds. I work from life whenever possible, usually sketching in pencil and watercolour and working up sketches in acrylics. I'm fascinated by wildlife camouflage and the repeating patterns in nature.

My paintings of nature and wildlife have been shown on BBC television and are held in collections as far afield as the Falkland Islands, Trinidad, Australia and South Africa. I was elected to fellowship of the RSA in 2006.

A four-week trip in 2005 to paint the wild life of the Falkland Islands provided plenty of inspiration beyond my usual British wildlife art, and led to my reputation for paintings of penguins. Since 2008 I've been concentrating on illustrations for a book on the wildlife art of ancient Egypt, which included an amazing six-week field trip investigating the art techniques and materials used inside the tombs and temples.

In 2009 I established a new studio near Stroud, enabling me to take on more illustration work and expand my range of wild life art paintings, cards and puzzles.

2012: I'm focusing less on birds and more on the animal-, insect- and reptile- side of wildlife art, ahead of an exciting new project... but more of that later.

London exhibitions

Society of Wildlife Artists

Provincial exhibitions

Commissions

In the media

Community Arts Projects
Sheepscape, Forest of Dean