A natural artist

Greetings Today talks to Beverley Fisher, creative director at Cherry Orchard, the artist behind its new Nature’s Diary range, about her art and inspiration…

Beverley is an avid wildlife artist. She lives in Canterbury surrounded by woodlands, 10 minutes from the coast and an hour from London, all of which provide a constant source of entertainment and inspiration for her creativity. Tell us a little about the story behind you becoming an artist.

For as long as I can remember I have painted, drawn, sketched and doodled. I knew from a very early age I wanted to make a living within a creative industry.

I studied textile design and left college full of expectations for a life in textiles. With help from the Prince’s Trust I opened a textile agency and for a couple of years began building a business, but it wasn’t what I wanted; what I wanted was to be a designer, an artist, a creator. So I went back to basics, I put my ideas down on paper, painted and sketched and filled my portfolio with artwork, then off to the Spring Fair I went, where I first met John and Jackie Collins of Cherry Orchard …. The rest as they say is history!

Now, 25 years on from that meeting I’m creative director at Cherry Orchard with a beautiful studio nestled in the outskirts of Canterbury, surrounded by countryside, farmland and orchards, working with a team of amazing people.

What inspires you?

Painting and drawing animals and birds is definitely one of my passions. From domestic pets and farmyard favourites to the vast array of wildlife we are lucky enough to share our planet with.

I have always had a keen interest in the natural world and would happily spend hours watching David Attenborough videos… of course now there’s always a box set at your finger tips!

I’m never really without inspiration, I just need to look out the window, for me there is something quite special when you catch a glimpse of a fox in the headlights, see the signs of a hedgehog in your garden, or get a new bird visiting the bird feeder.

All of these things inspire me to create the artwork I love.

What was your first card design?

Not my first card but certainly one that has been in production the longest, a very simple Sympathy card with a painted leaf, it was first published in around 2005 and is still in the Cherry Orchard portfolio today. What’s your favourite subject?

One of my favourite things to draw is feather and fur, I love capturing the delicate layers using just pencil to create depth and movement but these drawings can take hours to complete so these pieces of art tend to be on my desk for weeks, sometimes months at a time and I will work on a few pieces at the same time.

Nature’s Diary is a range that explores the wonders of the UK’s wildlife through months, seasons and habitats, full of beautiful illustrations and sketches taken straight out of my sketchbooks, with interesting facts and observations about the precious wildlife and habitats that so desperately need looking after.

Cherry Orchard has printed these cards on FSC recyclable board using a Carbon Neutral Press. They come with an eco-friendly kraft envelope and no excess packaging. Given the nature of the artwork it was really important that these designs were as eco friendly as possible. The first launch of Month of Cards has been extremely well received and we have just added another 48 designs, covering open, blank, occasions and relations.

This range is definitely taking me on a journey and with possibilities of stationery and licensing, I’m excited to see where we can take it…. Where else might we see your work?

I try to exhibit once a year, selling my original work through local galleries and online.

Tell us about the design process for Nature’s Diary.

My latest project has been Nature’s Diary, a range of UK wildlife-inspired cards for Cherry Orchard. The initial launch of this range was a Month You Were Born Range, so I began by researching each month, watching BBC’s Springwatch and Autumnwatch, looking back in sketchbooks and sifting through all my photos making notes and creating a diary of events, which then made the basis of each design.

Once I had an idea of what each month was to include it was then a case of sketching, drawing and painting, studying each animal, bird and flower I wanted to include. Each element was then scanned so I could produce a clean version of my sketchbooks and notes.

I have pop-ups where I sell prints and homewares and have recently expanded this to include Nature’s Diary, although the cards are exclusively produced for Cherry Orchard. I do the odd pet portrait commission and I love a Wild in Art project; I’ve been lucky enough to do two: Hares about Town for Southend and Ashford Snowdogs, both sculptures pop up around their respective towns and I love seeing them - it’s like seeing old friends!

And finally what do you do in your spare time?

Spare time, what’s that...! We have an allotment, I’m a taxi for a 14-year-old, and when all is done it’s very much gin o’clock!