Kay Johns

Whether it be a mouse, hare, pheasant, cat, dog, or best in show bull, Kay is in her element whilst painting wildlife. Kay is arguable one of the best known livestock artists in the country, well known for her hare and equestrian paintings. 

Born in Tring, Hertfordshire, Kay spent many happy hours at the local stables and neighbouring farms throughout her childhood, gaining access to the animals she loved so much. 

Kay studied art at college in London, training in graphic design, which enabled her to enter into the creative world of design and illustrations of children's books. 

After meeting her partner, David, they set up home together in an old farmhouse in Lincolnshire, surrounded by beautiful countryside full of the wildlife Kay so loves. She found this so inspiring that she has lovingly created a fantastic range of wildlife paintings. 

Kay spends many hours observing the behaviour of different animals, in particular the hares that play in and around the farmland surrounding her home and art studio, but also the magnificent livestock specimens that she spends considerable time photographing in the cattle sheds of the County Shows. 

Kay now has two very distinctive art styles, the quirky and fun pieces, and the more serious black background collection. 

The quirky style of Kay's work are created predominantly with gouache. Taking advantage of this versatile medium, Kay can create subtle colour change, or rich, dark, solid colour to create dramatic lighting and movement. This gives every featured animal a realism, but with an individual character and personality. 

Her black background collection have a photo-realistic style but with an artistic twist. These pieces of art are mostly made with pastel and with the use of a dark background, creating a dramatic lighting and a wonderful texture. Her focus and inspiration for the majority of these paintings is the eye. Kay, like many great artists, believe the eye is the very essence of the animals' soul.