CASE STUDY
Penelope Kirk
Q Tell us about your A – Z of Endangered Species project and how it came about. A Having worked as a commercial textile artist for many years I often painted animals and birds to go on dress and t-shirt designs but never on canvas. A couple of years ago I painted a portrait in oils of my ‘studio spaniel’ Beth after she passed away, aged only three, and this started me thinking
about painting animals in different media. I went on to experiment with painting other animals and, after painting an orangutan, I decided I needed a more meaningful project that I could really get my teeth into. As a commercial artist I was used to working to deadlines, which I love even if they’re self-imposed, so I set to work on my A – Z of Endangered Species.
Q How has working alongside a charity benefited your work?
A For every endangered species artwork sold I donate 20-per-cent of the proceeds to the relevant animal charity. The more species I have painted, the more I have learned about the world of animal conservation. This work has made me even more aware of just how much wildlife out there is endangered and heading for extinction. Human beings have such a huge role to play with the power to re-establish habitats that we have destroyed, stop the illegal trade of ivory, skins and animal parts for medicine and the abhorrent so called ‘sport’ of trophy hunting.
Q Would you call yourself a wildlife artist or do you paint in other genres?
A Right now I am definitely a wildlife artist but I did spend a long time working on architectural paintings based on my childhood memories of living at Stowe school in Buckinghamshire. My dad was a housemaster there in the 1970s and the overgrown temples and follies in the grounds were a fairy-tale playground for me and my best friend, something I hope comes across in the paintings and drawings I produced. The technique I used in these oil paintings translated well to the animal work so it seemed like a natural progression. Alongside the endangered species, I am doing a roaring trade in pet portraits!
As with the endangered species work, I donate to dog and cat charities, I think it’s something my customers really appreciate as, not only are they getting a piece of original art, they can feel good about helping rescued pets less fortunate than their own.
Q What do you find are effective marketing strategies?
A Most of my marketing is done on Instagram and Facebook and I definitely find social media the best way of getting my work out there. I really enjoy the whole marketing side of things, although trying to manage the time needed to make the work, as well as then trying to get it seen, can be overwhelming.
As all the work I am producing at the moment involves donations to charities this has definitely become a big part of my USP, and I mention it when making my posts and stories. I entered the David Shepherd Wildlife Artist of the Year competition this year and was absolutely delighted to have both my works selected as a finalist. The annual exhibition is usually held at the Mall Galleries but this year as it wasn’t logistically possible, the organisers set up a virtual gallery and the work sold raised over £90,000 for conservation. I’m hugely proud to have been part of this event and it’s been a great platform to advertise my work alongside some very established wildlife artists, whose encouragement and communication I’ve greatly appreciated. With both my entries selling within a day and raising £475 for the charity it was a very satisfying culmination of this year’s work.
Another charity I have been selected to show with is Explorers Against Extinction. They have an annual show at the gallery@ oxo on the South Bank London, I donated a piece, Giraffe, which was sold in their online auction and 100-per-cent of this sale went to their conservation work.
This summer I took part in the Select Arts Trail and Site Festival, two open studio events in and around Stroud, which were a good opportunity to meet fellow artists and invite people interested in seeing my work and where it is created. I really enjoyed myself, despite having been a little worried I would not be able to hold a proper conversation, something I’m sure a lot of
people can relate to after rather a solitary year.
As there’s so much advice/pressure on how to get your work seen, I built myself a website, which I direct people to as often as possible, and it’s definitely helped to have all my work on show in one place. I’ve tried to make it easy for people to view the variety of work and browse my shop with the added benefit of easily being able to buy online. I have to say it’s been a personal achievement as I’m not that ‘techy’! I have also created an Etsy shop, again to reach a wider audience, with my limited edition prints and greetings cards available to buy.
Q What is your next project and what charity would you like to work with next? A I am just in the process of setting up a corporate partnership with the People’s Trust for Endangered Species. The endangered species project is now ongoing and, at the risk of sounding corny, I really feel that I have found my ‘thing’. It has set me off on a new avenue, providing me with a worthwhile way to express my skills as an artist and to help, in some small way, to fund and promote the vital work that all these conservation charities are doing in trying to save the world’s wildlife from extinction.