Reviews
Giant Pandas and Sleeping Dragons
“It is rare to find a book that captures the essence of a place so vividly as Giant pandas and Sleeping dragons... as close as one can get to boarding a flight to western China tomorrow and then traveling to the shrinking habitat of the Giant panda in the most easterly edge of Tibet's plateau, a delve into this book is the next best thing."
“I opened the book and saw the endearing, enchanting images of Pollyanna's pandas,. I began to read Anna-Louise's fascinating, amused and informed diaries, and I knew I was about to travel with them both on an unforgettable and perhaps unrepeatable journey.......”
"This is a beautifully compiled and attractive book. It
is easy to read and carries the reader on the journey as the
artists experience the joys of discovering new cultures, making
new friends and above all, finding the elusive giant pandas
in their natural habitat"
"An engrossing story of Pollyanna’s trip to China
with her daughter, Anna-Louise, this book is a wonderfully perceptive
and at times witty diary of the two women’s experiences
in a remote region of China previously off-limits to Westerners."
"A Gorgeous Book"
On Top of The World
"Pollyanna is a gifted painter who has transported me on an unforgettable journey .......also congratulations to Anna-Louise who has written such a beautiful book"
"A delightful book"
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"On top of the World is a fascinating account of two women's
experiences in the high arctic.... this is a very personal acount
written with great insight and humour. On Top of the world is
a worthy successor to the highly acclaimed Giant pandas and
Sleeping Dragons......as with their previous book this one is
filled with wonderful illustrations."
A Brush with Wildife
'Fascinating and Warm-heated.......... Lavishly illustrated........
this book describes with touching clarity how Pollyanna was
able to draw on these experiences to develop her artistic talent.'
'A wonderfully rich addition to any art or nature-lovers library'
'A wonderful, touching, funny, beautiful book'
'A Brush with Wildife' looks wonderful!"
The Eye of the Tiger
“I feel I have travelled every step of the way with Pollyanna
and Anna-Louise on their Indian Journey. Shared with them
the exhilaration,, wonder, fun and all the other myriad experiences
they had as they sought the elusive tiger, symbol of India…..I
hope this illuminating book will open many eyes and stir many
hearts”
"Pollyanna and her daughter Anna-Louise’s inspirational
book comes from the hearts of a unique pairing, who celebrate
and contribute to the care of their subject in the most practical
ways. That passion for wildlife courses through the paintings,
photography and words of this book."
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Books
A Brush with Wildlife
'A Brush With Wildlife' tells the story of the wildlife sanctuary
which Pollyanna ran from her home for fifteen years. Lavishly
illustrated with sketches, paintings and photographs on every
page, it tells the heart-warming, amusing and inspirational
stories of many of the birds and animals cared for by Pollyanna
and her team of helpers. the book provides a unique insight
into Pollyanna's life and work, and reveals the real life stories
of many of the birds and animals featured in her most famous
paintings. The book also includes a portfolio of thirty paintings
of British Wildlife and landscapes, and a faithful reproduction
of the 'Millennium Triptych' - the remarkable work painted by
Pollyanna to celebrate the start of a new century.
The book ends with an extended biography, tracing the fascinating
rise of Pollyanna's career - from scouting jumble sales to find
frames for her paintings, to selling her work in eighty countries
world-wide.
The forward to the book has been written by respected naturalist
David Bellamy, and the preface by Twiggy, who is patron of the
Halcyon Haven Animal Sanctuary.
Price £29.95 FREE P&P
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The Eye of the Tiger
Pollyanna and Anna-Louise are proud to present their long awaited
fourth book.
The Eye of the Tiger is the beautifully illustrated story of
two expeditions to India recounting their unique experiences
– working with project tiger rangers; being given an orphan
sloth bear as a birthday gift; facing a charging tiger and living
to tell the tale. At the heart of this absorbing travel journal
is the majestic tiger and the heroic efforts of all those who
strive to ensure its survival in the wild.
Pollyanna has long held a fascination for painting this increasingly
threatened species, and in 1990 she travelled to some of the
remotest protected reserves in the jungles of Southern India.
Accompanied by her daughter Anna-Louise and the world-renowned
vet Bill Jordan, founder of the charity Care for the Wild, she
braved the heat and discomfort to be rewarded with a sketch
pad full of inspiration. Entertaining and informative extracts
from Anna-Louise’s journals tell the remarkable story
of an orphaned sloth bear cub as well as Pollyanna’s visit
to the Bannaghatta reserve to sketch the ‘Born Free’
tigers. These five tigers were rescued from a roadside circus
in Kent, where they had been kept in horrendous conditions,
in cages with barely enough space to turn round. Following a
campaign by the Born Free Foundation and The Mail on Sunday,
enough money was raised to fly them out to a sanctuary in their
ancestral homeland. “The only image I had of these tigers
prior to my visit was the black and white photos of them confined
in their circus 'beast wagon', a squalid prison. To see them
roaming free under the heat of the Indian sun was an incredible
experience.” Pollyanna commented “In the sanctuary
they can run for the first time in their lives, roam and even
swim in the river” .
Pollyanna and Anna-Louise fell in love with the country, the
people, the wildlife and the constant chaos that is India. In
2002 they made a second expedition, this time into the foothills
of the Himalayas in the North of India to paint Bengal Tigers.
Here they stayed and worked with anti-poaching rangers in the
heart of a project tiger reserve. In order to see and sketch
her subjects first hand Pollyanna was bounced, jolted, cut,
bruised, scratched stung and bitten - and even charged by a
wild tiger. "I have had one or two scary moments over the
years of travelling to paint endangered species” Pollyanna
commented "but I have never experienced a fear like looking
into the eyes of a snarling wild tiger from a distance of four
feet."
The book is lavishly illustrated throughout with Pollyanna’s
sketches, and Anna-Louise’s photographs, and features
20 superb colour plates selected from the paintings completed
by Pollyanna following her inspirational journeys. the foreward
is by Virginia McKenna, and the Preface contributed by Nick
Jenkins of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.
Price £29.95 FREE P&P
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Giant Pandas and Sleeping Dragons
This lavishly illustrated book tells the remarkable story of
Pollyanna's unique journey into China to study and paint the
giant panda. It will enchant art and nature lovers alike while
providing an insight into the an area of the world which is
shrouded in mystery.
The book is written as a travelogue, based on extracts from Anna-Louise's diary, each page illustrated with her photographs and Pollyanna's sketches. the rewards of the journey can be seen in the stunning portfolio of 21 original paintings reproduced at the end of the book.
In 1998 Anna-Louise was honored to be a finalist in the cosmopolitan
magazine Woman of Achievement awards for the writing and photography
of this book.
Foreward by Virginia McKenna, Preface Stuart Chapman WWF
Price £29.95 P&P FREE
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On Top Of The World
tells the story of her two painting expeditions into the frozen wastelands of the north, accompanied by her daughter and business partner Anna-Louise. These two slim blondes are probably the least likely arctic adventurers ever - but embarked on their remarkable expeditions in order to enable Pollyanna to sketch wild polar bears in their natural habitat. Pollyanna has become renowned for her travels into remote parts of the world to study and paint endangered species. By experiencing some of the most remote regions of the planet she feels she is able to portray wildlife in a uniquely compelling way, and bring an unmistakable accuracy and reality to her work.
Pollyanna and Anna-Louise made two expeditions to the far north in search of polar bears - the world largest carnivore. The first took them above the arctic circle, where the intrepid pair travelled by husky dog sledge, camping out on the ice in tents and igloos at night. Temperatures fell as low as -40†c - and the two vegetarians found themselves surviving on a diet of raw frozen caribou meat, the diet of their two Innuit guides. Even sketching was a problem for Pollyanna who travels with a set of water colours - her paints were frozen solid! "I was able to remove my two outer pairs of gloves, and wearing just the inner layer of thermal silk gloves sketch in pencil for 20 minute bursts before my fingers began to feel numb" she explained " as soon as I felt any real discomfort I would immediately put my thick down filled gloves back on - frost bite is a very real risk in those temperatures - and that is the last thing I need in my right hand!"
Their second journey took Pollyanna and Anna-Louise back to the Northwest territories of Canada this time to stay in a remote lodge on the migration path of female polar bears and their cubs. Such is the danger of polar bear attack in this region that the wooden lodge is entirely encased in steel bars, and once they had been flown out to the building by helicopter, they were unable to step out of the confines of this 'cage' for the duration of their stay.
Their suffering was rewarded with frequent sightings of polar bears, and sheets of sketches which provided Pollyanna with the reference for her paintings, completed on her return to her Derbyshire studio. A portfolio of twenty-one of these paintings is reproduced in the final chapter of the new book. On Top of the World is an amusing, informative and entertaining
account of the highs and lows endured while travelling through
the awe inspiring kingdom of the ice bear. A fascinating travelogue,
the book illustrated throughout with Pollyanna's paintings and
sketches and Anna-Louise's photographs. Anna-Louise also wrote
the text for this, their second collaboration, which provides
a riveting insight into the real story behind Pollyanna's paintings.
Catalogue number : BOOK2
Price £29.95 P&P FREE
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