Jo Pickering
Painting makes me happy!
As well as a practising artist I have enjoyed teaching Art to secondary school students for over 25 years and thankfully still enjoy it! I graduated with BA (Hons) degree from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art in Dundee and have always painted. My work has exhibited several times in the local area including Richmond, Redcar and Barnard Castle.
Most recently I was lucky enough to be selected to exhibit one of my still life paintings in the prestigious Mall Galleries in London as part of the ‘Artist of the Year’ exhibition.
I have also featured on Sky Arts ‘Landscape Artist of the Year’ in 2017and 2018.
I prefer to specialise in portraiture and am always experimenting with different media but oils will always be my favourite.
Portraiture as a subject fascinates me. Expressions, moods and strong dramatic lighting are all the most exciting for me to paint. I like to take my own photographs and am always looking for interesting faces. I like to produce images that are challenging to paint and may even leave a work ‘unfinished’ as an effect as I feel I have learned enough from that particular work.
As well as painting regular portrait commissions I also teach adults in a regular weekly class at The Bridge Centre For Visual Arts in Darlington. I also hold a variety of workshops for both beginners and more experienced artists throughout the year.
