Pollyanna has long held a fascination for painting big cats. Her first visit to Africa – also her first ever working expedition – was made in 1987.

Traveling through the heat of the Maasai Mara reserve, she was successful in seeing and studying a wealth of wildlife, including many of the big cats – leopards, cheetahs and a pride of lions with six young cubs. The journey inspired a stunning exhibition ‘Out of Africa’.

She was also pleased to have the opportunity to visit fellow wildilfe artist Jonathan Scott at his studio, where they exchanged ideas and discussed the value of painting subjects in the wild. Jonathan is of course now well known as the presenter of the big cat diaries for the BBC.

She made a return journey to Kenya ten years later in 1997 . On this occasion, she stayed with Gary Richardson, the director of the World Society for the Protection of Animals in Africa, and his family.

Pollyanna has long been a supporter of the work of this excellent charity, and was made to feel most welcome, as she accompanied Gary on visits to some of the charity’s projects, including an initiative to help protect Breeding turtles, and their eggs in remote coastal villages. Pollyanna also took the opportunity to sketch in the beautiful Tsavo National Park.

The Pollyanna Pickering Foundation has raised funds to help create a haven for Rhinos in Tsavo, and Pollyanna has been invited by the directors of Rhinoark to visit the project.

In 2007 Pollyanna first travelled to South Africa, where she was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the Born Free Foundation’s sanctuary at Shamwari.

Born Free has two sanctuaries in South Africa for lions and leopards rescued from zoos, circuses and other captive facilities, built thanks to donations from generous sponsors including the The Pollyanna Pickering Foundation, which was able to contribute £8000.00 towards the new enclosures.

Since then Pollyanna has made several return journeys to South Africa, both to Shamwari, and to the the Ann Van Dyk Cheetah Conservation Centre – Pollyanna acts as UK Ambassador for this Charity.

Pollyanna has also travelled extensively in Namibia studying and sketching the wildlife of the country.

Several African Countries have commissioned Pollyanna to paint sets of stamps including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and Benin.

Pollyanna has leant her support to charity Lionaid which is campaigning to protect this iconic species in the wild.