Biography
Gloria’s life began in a small farming community in Norfolk, England where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood on her grandparent’s farm. Her interest in art began very early and as a child she would draw and scribble on anything that came to hand.
Her career as an artist began during the late 1970’s when she opened a small art gallery representing her own and other, carefully selected, artists work.
During this time she also held private art classes for both children and adults, and soon established a loyal following.
Since then her work has spanned sculpture, book illustration, stage sets and the design and restoration of lacquered furniture and Chinoiserie, including work for The Fitzwilliam Museum, The Ashmolean Museum and also work on the Wallace Collection
Animals have featured strongly in her work, including the Iberian horse. Whilst travelling to Portugal to study the Lusitano in his home environment, she pursued her own studies in Haute Ecole under the tutelage of Lord Henry Loch. Since then she has gone on to produce the dramatic, bold and powerful studies of bulls that she has become so well known for.
Inspired greatly by the fighting bulls of Portugal (though not the bullring) and the mass and majesty of both English and Portuguese breeds. In these works is demonstrated her mastery of the art of draughtsmanship which is seen throughout her work, from the dramatic charcoal studies of ballet dancers to the relaxed sketches of passers-by.
Always a keen writer she has had several articles published in esoteric magazines and has recently created interest with her online blogs and her own growing range of children’s books.
Now spending much of her time in Portugal, Gloria is drawing inspiration for writing as well as painting from her own lively past, the people, traditions and the country of Portugal itself.
Her interests outside of art and writing include; Riding (haute ecole), sailing, flying and Tai Chi Chuan.
Her work has been exhibited in the following galleries;
UK. Century Galleries, Henley –on- Thames
Mistral Gallery, Dover Street, London
Equus Gallery, Newmarket
The Deane Gallery, Co Cork
The Condon Gallery, Theatre Royal, Norwich
Chimney Mill Gallery, Bury St Edmunds
Art in the Park, Croxton, Norfolk
The King of Hearts Centre for the Arts, Norwich
The Mall Galleries, London:
The Pastel Society &The Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours
Portugal; Gois Arte, 2006 2007
Live Arte,2006
Spain. International Oroso, 2006 2007
“ I have painted for as long as I can remember, from my earliest memories drawing was the activity that I enjoyed most. As a child I would wander for miles, sketchbook in hand, drawing trees, flowers, insects and animals.
Whilst at school I found support and appreciation in my art teacher who entrusted me with the art room key so that I could spend extra time there if I wanted - I spent a lot of time there.
As my work developed I soon found a desire for movement and drama, I was fascinated by the body language of people and animals and I soon began to represent this boldly and fearlessly, discovering the joy of a simple line and what it can tell, and now whatever the subject, whether it is dancers, musicians, the prancing white horses of the Iberian Peninsular, or the power and scale of the bull studies, these are the qualities that I hope to attain.
Life encapsulates movement, bearing, joy, love, passion, humour, music, melancholy, and so it has not been my intention to paint portraits in the conventional sense but to capture 'these' qualities, as I perceive them in the subject. '
Gloria
