“I am a wildlife artist based in Norwich, Norfolk. My passion for wildlife makes me want to capture it on paper, while the artist in me wants to explore the relationships between plants and animals in ink, paint and print.”
Vanna Bartlett
An Artist and Amateur Naturalist
I have been interested in natural history for as long as I can remember and the natural world has been the inspiration for my artwork from drawings and paintings to linocut prints. I found making field sketches of living animals in their environment gave me a greater understanding and appreciation of them and their behaviour.
Insects in particular have always fascinated me with their amazing diversity and life histories. I became captivated by solitary bees when I began identifying and then studying them in my garden. Over the years, I have become increasingly interested in the small creatures that even other naturalists often ignore. This led me to taking on the role of County Recorder for Harvestmen in Norfolk in 2022, adding Pseudoscorpions in 2024.
More of my time is now spent studying invertebrates and I do very little drawing and painting but I still enjoy field sketching when I get the chance.
My book ‘Arthropedia: an illustrated alphabet of invertebrates’ is my homage to the fascinating invertebrates that have enriched my life and without which the world would be a much poorer place on so many levels.
Before retirement, I exhibited some of my linocut prints in the Society of Wildlife Artists’ ‘Natural Eye’ exhibitions in the Mall Galleries in London and at BIRDscapes Gallery in North Norfolk. I also took part in in the Norwich Print Fair a number of times and have had work published in several Mascot Media books.
My linocut designs have been used to make Camden Graphics cards and charity Christmas cards for Amnesty International and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
It Starts With A Sketch…
… And Ends With a Picture
