Pollyanna Named Professional Wildlife Artist of the Year

2009 ended on a high note for Pollyanna when she was.named ‘Professional Wildlife Artist of the Year’ in the Society for All Artists Artist of the Year Awards.

The SAA is the most influential and far reaching society of its kind anywhere in the world. With an ever growing membership of enthusiastic and eager artists (over 42,000 members at the last count!) it is the largest art society in the world.

Pollyanna’s painting ‘Fragile World’ (above) which secured the title for her, was completed following her AFC fellowship expedition into the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. The painting of a red panda has previously been on exhibition in New York, in the inaugural Artists for Conservation exhibition, and was exhibited alongside the other SAA category winners at the Business Design Centre in London.

In congratulating Pollyanna on her award the judging panel commented that the standard of the work considered for this year’s awards was exceptional. The award winning painting 'Fragile World' will be exhibited for the first time in Derbyshire at Pollyanna’s 2010 Summer Exhibition ‘Beyond the Great Wall' which will feature the wildlife of China. The exhibition will be held in her private gallery from 19th June – 4th July 2010'

The SAA Artist of the Year awards attract entries from all over the world. Previous winners have included paintings from Malta, New Zealand, Oman, Brazil, Norway, USA and many other countries including of course the UK. The SAA is for everyone with a love of painting. They believe in encouraging everyone, from professional artists to complete novices as well as the legions of leisure painters They aim to make artists feel informed, encouraged and inspired.

Pollyanna has been recognised with many awards for her paintings including Derbyshire’s own Silver Palette Trophy. The Wildlife Art Society International selected Pollyanna to receive their special Millennium Trophy - a one off award to celebrate artistic excellence at the turn of the century – and have also awarded her two Gold Medals . In 2004 she was awarded a coveted first prize in the Wildlife Artist of the Year Awards, and in 2007 won the first National Wildscape Masterclass Challenge. In 2006 the Artists for Conservation Foundation honoured her with their prestigeous Conservation Artist Award.