Pollyanna Pickering is widely recognised as Europe's foremost wildlife artist, and is the most published fine artist working in Britain today.

Pollyanna was born in Leeds, she began her real art training at Rotherham Art School, where she met her future husband, Ken Pickering, an industrial designer. She went on to study for a further three years at the London Central School of Art. Pollyanna's original work has been exhibited in top galleries internationally, including the Royal Academy. Her paintings hang in private and corporate collections world-wide from Siberia to Australia, and celebrity collectors of her work include John Hurt and David Bowie, while Sheikh Mohammed has a specially commissioned series of paintings of his Ascot Winners.

Pollyanna's work will be familiar to most people from her extensive ranges of published work - including limited edition and fine art prints, greetings cards, calendars, books, and a wide variety of gift ware. Her work has frequently appeared on magazine covers, and she designs exclusively for Harrods . She has painted collectors plates for Wedgwood and Royal Doulton, and the Republic of Benin have commissioned her work for postage stamps.

Pollyanna is most pleased when her paintings can be used to support causes close to her heart. She designs annually for Guide Dogs for the Blind, the Blue Cross, and many other associations. Her art work has benefited international charities including The World Wildlife Fund, the RSPCA in Hong Kong and Second Sight the American Guide Dogs Association all of whom have commissioned work.

For fifteen years, Pollyanna ran a registered bird hospital from her home in the Peak District of Derbyshire. Caring mainly for injured and orphaned birds of prey, she also reared and released foxes, hedgehogs and squirrels. This close contact with birds and animals is reflected in the unique realism and vitality of her work.

Over 20 years ago Pollyanna embarked on a remarkable on-going project to study and paint her wildlife subjects in their natural habitats. Although she has not quite travelled around the world, her journeys have taken her across 5 continents, as well as over the frozen ocean that forms the Arctic by Husky dog sled. Accompanied by her daughter Anna-Louise, an accomplished photographer, she has sketched Wolves and Coyotes in the arid deserts of North America, and tracked Jaguars in the heat and humidity of the rain forests of Belize. Safaris in Africa have inspired paintings of big cats, while closer to home Pollyanna has travelled extensively to paint the more familiar wildlife of Europe The intrepid duo also became the first two western women to visit one of the most remote regions of the Tibetan borderlands, where they worked in a hospital caring for injured & sick pandas.

Pollyanna's artwork, and journeys to remote areas of the world attract much media attention, and she makes frequent appearances on radio and television and in the national media. She is also a highly acclaimed public speaker.

In 2001 she established the Pollyanna Pickering Foundation, which raises funds for Conservation and disaster relief internationally. She continues to help injured wildlife as a patron of Raptor Rescue, and is patron of other National Charities including Naturewatch and Fable (Campaign for a Better Life with Epilepsy.) She recently accepted the post of International Vice President of Bill Jordan's Wildlife Defence Fund, and is a trustee of the Irish African Asian Conservation Trust.

In 1983 Pollyanna won the prestigious Silver Palette award, and in 1988 was honoured to be asked back to sit on the judging panel. Since 1998 she has been a member of the Court of the University of Derby, and in the same year she was presented with the freedom of Bolsover and District in recognition of her charitable work in the area.

In 2001 Pollyanna was a finalist in the Businesswoman of the year awards, part of the Midlands Woman of the Year celebrations. She was honoured to be chosen represented the UK as one of six master artists in the Millennium issue of International Artist magazine. In October 2000 Pollyanna was honoured to receive the Wildlife Art Society's Millennium Trophy for wildlife painting. This major award confirms her status as one of the leaders in her chosen field. The society recognised her work once again in 2003 bestowing the Gold Award at their International Exhibition for her painting "Tranquility". In the same year Pollyanna was commended at the European Woman of Achievement Awards for both her artwork and her commitment to International conservation.