Tina Bone
I was told I could draw by my teacher (Miss Treleven) when I was just seven: she had entered my ‘Fairy Queen’ painting into a children’s local art competition and I remember winning a big box of paints and brushes; and, at age eleven, whilst on holiday in Italy I was asked to paint a picture on canvas to replace a wooden wall painting of Madonna and Child which had burned during street celebrations – I spent my six week’s holiday, in my Aunty’s best room, painting.
After leaving school at 15 with no qualifications, a string of secretarial jobs which I hated (including training for the GPO as a telephonist), I married in 1967 at the tender age of 17, having become engaged on my sixteenth birthday. In order to keep up with the needs of my husband and three sons, I elected to work self-employed from home. Over the next 35 years I periodically purchased state-of-the-art publishing equipment and computer programmes to produce camera ready artwork for local publishers and organisations. The continual deadlines of publishing finally took their toll and in 2005 I decided to ‘retire’ from the publishing world. I spent my life savings to buy the latest equipment (of the day!), including a large format professional printer, so that I could produce my own limited edition prints and other saleable products in my own studio.
My secret desire had always been to paint professionally, so, though self-taught, I took the plunge and turned professional artist in March 2005. My favourite subjects are natural history (especially common British birds) and botanical illustration. My childhood love of nature has been re-kindled since planting in 2004 a small ‘wild’ garden (20ft x 20ft) to provide live subjects. The little garden has been most successful with visits from many birds, frogs, newts, toads and all manner of insects. We have a resident hedgehog and wood mice. Black and grey squirrels also visit and ‘nick’ the bird seed.
Wherever possible, I paint life-size using live specimens, or make up compositions from field photographs I have taken with my lovely digital camera. I am a member of the Marwell International Wildlife Art Society, the Society of All Artists, the Cambridge Natural History Society, the Cambridge City Group of the Wildlife Trust and the RSPB. In 2007, for the first time, I submitted three works to the National Exhibition of Wildlife Art (NEWA); two were selected for the exhibition, and I sold one. I also sold at the 2008 NEWA exhibition. In February 2008 I submitted five paintings to the Society of Botanical Artists Open Exhibition and all five were selected—two were sold.
I am still building up my port folio as a professional artist, but have been fortunate enough to be interviewed by the local press who described my work as ‘nature immortalised in print’ and ‘exquisite botanicals’. As well as printing my own limited editions on my large format printer (and having purchased the equipment necessary to collate and bind), I decided to design and produce calendars based on my work. I usually print a limited edition of 300 calendars. I also design and print my own range of cards, notebooks and bookmarks.
EXHIBITIONS AND DISPLAYS (2008):
Society of Botanical Artists Annual London Open Exhibition. Friday 18 April to Sunday 27 April 2008. The Lecture Hall, Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, London SW1. Opening times: Daily from 10am to 5pm including Sundays. Free Admission. Society of Botanical Artists Submitted five works, and all five selected. See Flower Gallery (6-10).
Abbots Ripton Hall Garden Show Art Exhibition, 20 to 22 June 2008. Charity Garden Show, Abbots Ripton Hall, Nr Huntingdon. Organiser Mrs Valerie Scothern. Tel: 01487 773213. email: v.scothern@btinternet.com
Cambridge Open Studios PREVIEW Exhibition: Gallery @12A From 6th to 29 June 2008, 10.00am to 4.00pm. 12A High Street, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB21 5DH. Tel: 01223 561192. www.camopenstudios.co.uk
Cambridge Open Studios LAUNCH Exhibition: From 16th June to 29 June 2008, 10.00am to 4.00pm. The Perse Upper School, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 8QF. Tel: 01223 403867
Cambridge Open Studios July Exhibition: STUDIO OPEN, 18 HARBOUR AVENUE, COMBERTON, CAMBRIDGE CB23 7DD. 12-13, 19-20, 26-27 July 2008. Tel: 01223 262962; mobile 07802 708 028; Enquiries by email to: tina@tinabonedtp.co.uk
National Exhibition of Wildlife Art (NEWA) 2008. July 18th to August 3rd. Gordale Garden Centre, Midway along the Wirral peninsula, half way between Chester and Heswall on the A540: Chester High Road, Burton, Wirral. CH64 8TF Contact NEWA: Tel: 07748533448. email: admin@newa-uk.com. 11, Dibbins Hey, Poulton Lancelyn, Bebington, Wirral. CH63 9JU.
Living Heritage Craft, Food and Gift Fairs 2008: SANDRINGHAM GAME AND COUNTRY SHOW. 10.00am to 6.00pm, Saturday and Sunday 13th and 14th September 2008. Sandringham, Norfolk PE35 6EN
Cambridge Open Studios, Gallery @12A continuing. 12A High Street, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB1 5DH. www.camopenstudios.co.uk
Raptor Foundation, nr St Ives, Cambs continuing. The Raptor Foundation, The Heath, St. Ives Road, Woodhurst, Cambridgeshire PE28 3BT Tel : 01487 741140; Fax : 01487 841140. www.raptorfoundation.org.uk
Raptor Krafts (within Raptor Foundation), nr St Ives, Cambs continuing. Raptor Krafts, The Heath, St Ives Road, Woodhurst, Cambridgeshire, PE28 3BT, Tel: 01487 840011 or 07778 302074.
Email: info@raptorkrafts.co.uk • www.raptorkrafts.co.uk
Marwell International Wildlife Art Society (MIWAS) Open Exhibition 2008 (August 2008). www.miwas.co.uk
Autumn Art Exhibition, Foxton Junior School 2008 Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd November 2008. www.foxtonart.org • email: noleenbrady@ntlworld.com
St Mary's Church Art Exhibition, Comberton 2008 Friday 5th to Sunday 7th December 2008.
Canvas, Drawing, Oils, Pen & Ink, Pen And Wash, Pencil/Charcoal, Print, Watercolour, Watercolour Pencil
Animals, Botanical Illustration, Buildings, Figure, Flowers And Gardens, Illustration, Landscape, Life Drawing, Pet Portrait, Portrait, Seascapes and Water, Still Life, Trees and Foliage, Waterways and Canals, Wild Flowers, Wildlife
Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom mainland