Jennifer Deakin

Pet Portrait Painter ~ Animal Artist

                                                                                   About me

 

I was born in Nottingham in 1965, and was always the kid with a paint brush,

felt-tips, or crayons in hand,

I would paint/draw on anything I could find, boxes, old rolls of wallpaper, scrap paper etc..

 or I would be making things from boxes, paper, wood, sticky black plasic,

 yes I was a real 'Blue Peter kid'

At school Art was my favourite subject,

and I left school with a host of CSE's and my only O'level, which of course was in art!

Art then took a back seat while I enjoyed life, well in my 20's I wanted to go out and have fun

I did a range of different jobs, settling in the end as a Nail Technicain, 

In 1988 my late grandad gave me some oil paints,

and my love of painting was reborn, 

I soon moved on to Acrylics, due to is faster drying time .

I then discovered I had talent for painting animals from photos,

and that was it, I started to advertise, and started to take commissions


In 1991 'Your Horse' magazine ran a short story competition, with the winner,

getting a portrait done by me.



My daughter came along in 1993, so the painting took a back seat again,

with me only finding time to do the odd commission.



Then in 2004 we moved to Spain, to a beautiful farmhouse, with enough land for my horses, 

 we are set in a National Park, so the hacking is wonderful,

this has given me time to take up my passion again.

So I now feel I am 'living the dream'

 


Me and Foxy, with one of my paintings, here at home in sunny Spain


As for my love of animals, well they have always featured in my life, from my first dog,

when I was 3,  a Jack Russell called 'Pip'

to the pet rabbits most kids have,

my first horse 'Cindy' who I sadly lost in a traffic accident, 

to all the animals I have now.

 

Me and my daughter, on our beloved Apploosas

at a horse display, here in Spain

My daughter and Ticky on the left, me and Freckles on the right