About Me

As the daughter of a sculptress I grew up with art and achieved an A* Art GCSE, many moons ago. However my real passion was horses. I earned just enough, working along side my mother, throughout the school holidays, to buy a 2 year old filly. And that was that! I packed in the artwork and my A levels and went off to work as a groom. My life was then horses for another 16 years before the birth of my first child changed everything.
To fit around school hours I worked as a freelance artist for several years, mostly painting horses, dogs and wildlife, but then, it evolved into something that has now taken over my life!
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Rocking horses have been a complete obsession over the past few years, partly filling the void of no longer having real horses, but also satisfying the itch to always be creating and making the unloved, lovable again.
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Sustainability is extremely important to me, and I will reuse, recycle and repurpose wherever possible, but have also been trialling what can be achieved with new materials, such as PLA.
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I am continually on a quest to find better ways, better techniques and get better results and find the journey very rewarding.
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The best way to find out what I'm up to, is to follow my Facebook page, which is updated regularly with my current projects.
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https://www.facebook.com/ellenwilkinsonart
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My horses do tend to sell quite quickly, but please keep an eye on my Rocking Horses for Sale page to see what I have in stock and some examples of sold stock
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Ellen Wilkinson
Art & Design
My Story
Well, I took after my mother (Sculptress Fiona Wilkinson) and showed artistic flare from a very young age, going on to achieve a GCSE at A* level, however, I left formal education and followed my heart into a career with horses. Still my passion for all animals, but horses in particular is a major source of inspiration.
My first job out of school was as a commercial sculptor, working mostly in wax for toy companies. But it didn't last long as I longed for the great outdoors. Freedom from walls and rules! So, I worked for several years with horses, but after the birth of my fist son, I decided this line of work was too risky.
I then moved on to work as an interior painter and decorator, but longed to do something more creative again. So in 2015 I took the plunge and swapped my paintbrushes for the more artistic kind, initially just for fun, but I soon started getting requests for pet portraits and then human portraits, although it was my more impressionist fish paintings that really took off.
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After an extended maternity break, I have taken a bit of a change of direction, working mostly on rocking horse restoration. It seems to suit me, combining many of the skills I have learnt over the years, and challenging me with many more skills that I am learning along the way. Including carving and woodwork, leathercraft and even sewing, which I must admit is my weakest area at the moment!
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I really enjoy the challenge though, and love to bring these poor unloved creations back to life. I learn something new from every one.
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My Vision
I dream of a free world where everyone can live their own dream, I've always struggled to fit in and tow the line, it just doesn't seem human to me.
I have done many jobs, chased many ambitions and realised many dreams, I have been incredibly blessed. I hope others will be inspired to follow their heart and just give things a go, for life is not about arriving at the destination, it is learning to enjoy the journey.
Art for me, is a very personal thing, I give a little bit of myself away with each piece, and with each piece comes my love care and attention. You don't have to like it, you don't have to accept it, but know that it is there.
As a single mother, everything I earn at the moment goes towards supporting my children, but as both my business and my children grow I hope to buy a piece of land , build an eco home and plant lots of trees.
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