Artist · East Sussex
Mixed-media wildlife paintings in ink, bleach and acrylic: watchful animals, sheltering among flowers and looking for somewhere safe.
The collection
Each portrait begins with ink and bleach, which push and pull against each other on the paper, so no two marks behave the same way. Flowers, gold and painted borders follow in acrylic, giving each animal a place to shelter.
Not for sale
My first painting. The ink and bleach bloom and bleed into the patchwork of its coat, with fine detail saved for the eyes and whiskers. Wild Dogs live as a pack, but this one looks out alone: alert, listening, waiting.
Get in touchNot currently available
A fox looks straight out from a garden of poppies, half hidden and half on guard. The ornate collage border is a frame within a frame: a sanctuary that's beautiful, but not quite home. The title asks whether the safety we picture is real, or only how we'd like it to look.
Price on request · Available
Hares never fully rest. Even sitting still among poppies and cornflowers, this one is listening, ready to run. The painting is about that kind of calm: real but fragile, like the anxiety that can stay with us even in the most beautiful places.
Enquire about this paintingPrice on request · Available
Tall enough to see everything, impossible to hide. A giraffe caught mid-lick among warm, earthy washes and grasses, a little comic and a little alone. For me it's about being visible but outside the group, and still longing to belong.
Enquire about this paintingChristmas & art cards
Four designs taken from my paintings: Winter Stillness, Christmas Wishes, A Fragile Calm and Rose-Tinted Shelter. Choose a festive greeting or a floral design for your own message.
£3 each, or any 5 for £12. You can mix the designs.
A6 cards printed on textured Tintoretto Gesso paper, with racing green or French blue envelopes and compostable sleeves. All four designs are blank inside for your own message.
Cards are available now. Choose your designs below to request an order. I’ll confirm availability, collection or postage costs, and how to pay by email before you commit.
Choose your cardsMeet the artist
I’m an artist based in East Sussex. Originally from South Africa, I moved to the UK in 1988.
Creativity has always been part of my life, from designing houses and interiors to making mosaics. Painting wildlife has given me a more personal way to express myself. I started painting in July 2026, and I haven’t stopped since.
I see something of myself in the animals I paint. Through them, I express parts of my own story and feelings that are sometimes easier to paint than to put into words.
I work in mixed media. Ink and bleach react on the paper in ways I can guide but never fully control, which feels right for wild animals. I then build up flowers, borders and touches of gold in acrylic and collage. My work explores shelter, freedom and belonging through the watchfulness and adaptability of animals.
Keep in touch
For enquiries about paintings or cards, please email me. Let me know which piece or design you’re interested in, and I’ll get back to you.
studio@michelleroseart.co.uk