Artist Hannah Shergold has announced a new collection in collaboration with the Born Free Foundation. The collection is inspired by the charity’s incredible work promoting the survival of threatened species in the wild and will be showcased at a two-week exhibition at La Galleria, Mayfair, from 17-29th June. A painting will be selected and auctioned at the Private View with all proceeds being donated to the Foundation. A percentage of the profits from the rest of the collection will also be donated.
Following the success of Hannah’s self-represented solo exhibition last year and her outstanding £50,000 fund-raising achievement for the UK Invictus Games team, Hannah has decided to further her charitable efforts and partner with another charity close to her heart. Hannah was inspired by wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan and his work with the Born Free Foundation. Her new collection of works will represent wildlife from around the world, combining her established, sought-after style with new subject matter including leopard, rhino, bears and wolves.
Cheetah in full flight
Hannah’s style aims to combine anatomical realism and accuracy with an element of the abstract, inviting geometric lines and unnatural colours into an otherwise camouflaged subject matter. Hannah captures the energy and movement of her subjects with a bold use of impasto paint. She works quickly to capture a likeness whilst the paint is still wet, moving the medium across the canvas to create the network of layers that are threaded through her work.
Hannah Shergold comments “It is such an exciting venture to be working with the Born Free Foundation. Having met with Will Travers OBE, the founder and President of the Foundation, we were able to explore how I can create a collection that will hopefully raise a significant amount of money towards their incredible conservation projects. My style is continually evolving but will maintain the trademark abstractions and colours that my collectors have been drawn to.”
Elephants embrace small
As an artist, Hannah’s achievements include being selected as the official artist for Team UK at the Invictus Games in Sydney and being selected as the wild card for Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year which airs on 19th February at 8pm.
Hannah’s background, however, is far from traditional; following a degree in Zoology at Cambridge University she embarked on a military career as a Lynx helicopter commander that saw her serve in Germany, Canada, Kenya and Afghanistan. Whilst on medical evacuation duties in Kenya Hannah passed the time on standby by sketching the varied local wildlife. She hosted a small but very successful exhibition there and on her return to the UK decided to pursue a career as an artist, leaving the Forces in April 2018.
Blue Lion small
