Heather Jolliffe

Born in the heart of the New Forest, Heather grew up with the rich countryside and coastline as a childhood playground, with much time spent amidst its diverse landscape and wonderful wildlife. After studying at Bournemouth & Poole College of Art, Heather went on to study Fine Art at the prestigious Royal Academy Schools of Art in London. Heather also gained a City and Guilds qualification in Teaching in Further Education.

Some years later Heather returned to her native county of Hampshire to establish her own art classes and workshops there, as well as continuing her work as an art demonstrator to art groups and societies and being a freelance art teacher and practising artist. Over the years Heather has worked with many organisations such as the Derwent Pencil Company, London Wetlands Centre, Barnet College, Hampshire Learning in Libraries, MODA at Middlesex University, Art Holidays in Dorset and Leicestershire Schools Programme, amongst many others.

The Hampshire and Dorset coastline is an area Heather has always drawn on as a source of inspiration for her artwork.

With beautiful coastline and countryside to work amidst, her preference is mainly for coastal views and landscapes, especially of Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Dorset, but also the busy beach views or river views of rowing sport scenes, or wildlife drawing and painting. Heather also enjoys the subjects of houses and gardens, and animal portraits.

Heather is an adept painter in acrylics and watercolours, with the inclusion of more recently available water mixable oils too, often using drawings, watercolour sketches or acrylic studies painted directly from the landscape as a beginning point for larger studio based painting. Her paintings are filled with colour, light and shade, colourful shadows and textures.

Since the mid 80’s, Heather has exhibited her work both regionally and in London, organising and curating solo and group exhibitions, or taking part in open art competitions. She has had work shown in the Royal Academy Summer Show, the Royal Society of Marine Artists at the Mall Galleries London, Southampton City Art Gallery, the St Barbe’s Open in Hampshire, the Art House Inaugural Show and the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art, amongst other exhibitions. Her work is in many private collections in the UK, Canada and the United States, and in 2000 Heather was the first artist commissioned by the Lee Valley Park Authority as part of a new art residency programme in its headquarters gardens, with a number of subsequent works placed in the Park Authority’s Collection.