Meet Pollyanna Pickering

Pollyanna was acclaimed as one of Europe’s foremost wildlife artists. The most published artist in the UK, her work continues to sell in over eighty countries world wide. She was patron of the Wildlife Art Society International, and the University of Derby awarded her an honorary degree in recognition of her outstanding achievement in the arts.

In 2012 she was awarded the most prestigious International Award in the field of Wildlife Art – The Artists for Conservation’s Simon Combes Conservation Award, recognising support for conservation through artistic excellence.

A familiar face on TV, the documentary about her work Made in England was broadcast on BBC 1. In recent years she became a frequent and popular guest on The Create and Craft Channel, filming around 30 live shows annually which were simulcast in the USA.

Pollyanna was passionate about wildlife and equally passionate about accurately interpreting her subjects. She was a champion of environmental conservation, both on the national and international stage, and an indefatigable campaigner for the welfare of endangered, sick and vulnerable creatures.

Her paintings will be familiar to most people from her extensive ranges of fine art prints and cards, many commissioned by charities including the WWF, Guide Dogs for the Blind and the RSPB. Pollyanna designed exclusive gift ware for Harrods, and painted postage stamps for African Countries, and first day covers for the Royal Mail.

Her original artwork was exhibited in prestigeous galleries throughout the UK and around the world. In 2019 she was honoured to include work in the inaugural Artists for Conservation Festival in China, which she also attended as the official delegate representing Europe.

Pollyanna’s determination to paint only animals which she had observed in their natural habitats lead her into a remarkable and unique series of expeditions into some of the most inhospitable areas of the globe. In 2007, Pollyanna was granted a fellowship from Canada based society Artists for Conservation Foundation in support of a landmark expedition into Bhutan. She was accompanied on her journeys by her daughter and business partner Anna-Louise who also writes the text and contributes the photography to their books. The duo were the first two women ever to travel into a remote area of the Chinese Tibetan Borerlands where they worked in a panda hospital helping to rear a six month old baby panda.

For fifteen years Pollyanna ran a registered hospital for birds of prey from her home. Caring mainly for injured and orphaned raptors, she also rehabilitated foxes, hedgehogs, squirrels and other mammals, all of which feature in her work. This close contact with the creatures in her care is reflected in the realism and vitality of her work.

The Pollyanna Pickering Foundation raises funds for world-wide conservation, animal welfare and disaster relief. Pollyanna also acted as patron of many other organisations including The Born Free Foundation, The Badger Trust, Raptor Rescue, Cats in Need, Naturewatch, The Gamelea Countryside Training Trust, The ABC Animal Sanctuary and FABLE who raise funds for epilepsy sufferers. Pollyanna was a trustee of the Irish African/Asian Conservation Trust, and acted as Global ambassador for the Australian organisation Wildlife Warriors. She held the official role of Conservation Partner to the Wildlife Conservation Division of the Department of Forests and Park Services of Bhutan.

Pollyanna received close to fifty international awards and accolades for her paintings, including the Silver Palette Trophy and the Millennium Trophy bestowed by the Wildlife Art Society International who also awarded her two Gold Medals. In 2004 she was awarded a coveted first prize in the Wildlife Artist of the Year Awards, and in 2007 won the first National Wildscape Masterclass Challenge. In 2009 the Society of All Artists named her Professional Wildlife Artist of the Year in their annual award, and in 2011 she won the inaugural Environmental Concern Award, in the Wildlife Artist of the Year Awards.

However in recent years she was also recognised for her remarkable accomplishments in both business and conservation. The International Fund for Animal Welfare named her Animal Conservation Fund-raiser of the Year, honouring her with an award at a special presentation at the House of Lords. She received a commendation for her work in Arts and Media at the European Women of Achievement Awards and won the Hera Award at the prestigious NatWest everywoman Awards which celebrate the achievements of women in business.

In 2006 she was awarded the Department of Trade and Investment’s Women in Business Achievement Award. and the following year received one of the first Excellence in the Community from Derbyshire County Council, in recognition of her ‘outstanding personal achievement’ which has helped to put Derbyshire on the map. In 2009 she was one of the three shortlisted finalists for the Women in Public Life Awards. In 2010 she was named Entrepreneur of the Year in the inaugural Derbyshire Times Business Awards.

She was awarded Four Lifetime Achievement Awards – at The Inspirational Women Awards, Peak FM’s Local Hero Awards in 2016, and in 2018 was the recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis International Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2019 the Create and Craft TV channel bestowed a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her contribution to the channel and the crafting industry. In the same year she was honoured with a posthumous award in New York in recognition of her Outstanding Contribution to Arts and Culture.

“I cannot really believe that I will never see Pollyanna again. In fact, I know I will always see her – in my mind’s eye, and when I look at her fascinating and beautiful paintings. She had a modesty which was deeply touching, and a generosity of spirit that is rare these days. It is a spirit that will live always, in her paintings and in our hearts.” Virginia McKenna OBE

“With Pollyanna’s passing, we have lost a great artist, passionate and generous wildlife conservationist. She was a big part of the AFC community over the years and will be deeply missed by her friends and colleagues here. Pollyanna will be remembered as a kind, dedicated and extraordinary woman, a great artist, a champion for the natural world and an inspiration to her peers and her fans alike.” Artists for Conservation, Canada