Artist Hannah Shergold has announced a collaboration with conservation charity Tusk for her 2020 Mayfair exhibition.
Artist and ex-military helicopter pilot Hannah Shergold has announced her new collection in collaboration with Prince William’s key conservation charity Tusk. The collection is inspired by the trust’s incredible work promoting the survival of threatened species in Africa and will be showcased at a two-week exhibition at La Galleria, Pall Mall, from 16th – 27th June.
Two paintings from the collection will be auctioned at the Private View event on 15th June which will take place at the prestigious home of the Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall, with all profits being donated to Tusk. Furthermore, 20 percent of the profits from the rest of the collection will also be donated, giving Hannah an ambitious 2020 fundraising target of over £75,000.
Charity
Since leaving the Armed Forces in April 2018, Hannah has had two immensely successful self-represented solo exhibitions and has raised £50,000 for the UK Invictus Games team and £65,000 for the Born Free Foundation through the sale of her artwork. Further to this success, Hannah has decided to continue her philanthropic efforts and collaborate with another charity close to her heart.
Her new collection of works will represent wildlife from around the world, combining her established, sought-after style with subject matter including lion, elephant, rhino, and tiger.
Hannah’s style combines anatomical 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, quickly capturing 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.
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Hannah never touches a paint brush, instead her pieces are created using a palette knife and a unique process of scraping the paint using a handmade wooden structure to create a layered multi textured finish to each painting. Her veterinary degree and time working in the army led her to have an understanding and appreciation of movement of both people and animals and it is this that she conveys in her pieces. From portraits, people and large scale animal herds, Hannah’s work is easily recognizable in style whilst her muse is ever changing.
Conservation
Tusk Chief Executive Charles Mayhew MBE comments: “We are so grateful to Hannah for generously offering to support Tusk’s conservation efforts across Africa through her art. Her stunning paintings will not only help to raise vital funds but will simultaneously raise much needed awareness of the increasing pressure and threat faced by Africa’s wildlife.”
Hannah Shergold comments: “I am honoured to be working with Tusk to help further their conservation projects across Africa. I have followed their work for many years and having met with Charles I was inspired by the dedication and commitment of his team to maximise the reach and efficiency of this excellent charity.
“£75,000 is an ambitious target to set myself, particularly as I am entirely self-represented as an artist, but the challenge is what motivates me. My style is continually evolving but will maintain the trademark abstractions, movement and colour that my collectors have been drawn to.”
As an artist, Hannah’s achievements include being selected as the official artist for Team UK at the Invictus Games in Sydney and being chosen as the wild card for Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year 2019 where she painted Top Boy actor Ashley Walters.
Hannah’s art background is far from traditional; after studying Veterinary Science and gaining a Masters 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 the Spring of 2018.
In order to preserve the value and exclusivity of her work Hannah does not produce prints, preferring instead that all works remain a one-off for her customers. –
www.hannahshergold.com
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