• Mon-Fri | 09:00-17:00 | Registered office: Rowood House, First Floor, Suite B, Murdock Road, Bicester, OX26 4PP

Our Members

Our Bicester Art Network artist members, local to Bicester, are listed below

If you are an artist and wish to join us, please click here to find out more.


Vivien Willacy

 img20220718 16413607 2Born in Morecambe, Lancashire I have lived in Oxfordshire for nearly 30 years. I discovered my ability to draw in 2018 following the death of my father, my inspiration was a cala lily on a condolence card. In 2020 I returned to drawing, this time with coloured pencils. I have had no formal art training and therefore am completely self-taught. It may well be in the genes, my Mother and Aunt both painted, my Aunt to a published standard. My Father was a draughtsman by trade and I think that is where my love of detail comes from. I can often hear him critiquing, telling me something isn’t quite right!
This is my first year exhibiting my work and it has been a privilege to do so. It has given me the confidence to really push myself with my art. I have had the opportunity to step away from commission work for a little while and draw and experiment.As you can see from my artwork I have a love of nature and animals, very much a country girl at heart.  I have completed a few human portraits recently which I have very much enjoyed. This medium is by no means a fast one, but is surprisingly calming.  I call it my Yoga with Pencils! It gives me pleasure and peace, even with a challenging piece.  My escape!All drawings are completed on acid free archival paper/film with colourfast pencils – meaning if cared for according to instructions, they will stand the test of time.


Celine Beaugrand

Celine Fishermans HutMy aim is to make people, and particularly children, feel a part of my artwork so they can create their own stories, imagining what is just around the corner, stimulating them to express their ideas with confidence. I encourage them to develop their emotions through my art, nurturing their creative minds and providing them with a sense of escapism.

I work in a variety of mediums and love to develop themes where children find themselves in mysterious and magical situations, with a backdrop of pretty scenes or imagery. My vibrant style uses bold colours and touches of surrealism and incorporates a sense of humour and discovery.
When I first started, I focused on creating art for children; I have recently discovered Digital Technology and I have turned to a different style altogether. My approach to Art is simple: “give it a try and see where it takes you”. This transpires in my latest pieces which are very different from where I started: Art for children versus landscapes and sometimes dramatic sceneries.

 

Here is a sample of Celine's work

 


Karen Joy

Karen Joy 1I began my artistic journey as a picture restorer in London before going on to study at art college, where I focused mainly on print work, and was awarded my degree.

Art has always been a much-loved part of my life, whether it has been a hobby or career, developing many different skills and styles.

I have now refined my own sometimes impressionistic, sometimes abstract landscape; having fallen in love with the freedom and adaptability of acrylic paint.

​I can never tell at the beginning how the painting will evolve, but I allow myself to go to the canvas or board with a free mind knowing that whatever I paint, it is not only about the final image, but vitally, my feelings toward it.

Using colour mark and layers to convey the enormous depth that there is both visually and psychologically within the composition, my work is not only about the scene, but about the emotions I experienced during its creation.


Chloe Brown

Chloe BrownChloe is a Multidisciplinary artist, working in a range of mediums such as watercolour, oils, pastels, digital and more recently sculpture. All of Chloe's works gravitate around a story, through the use of consistent subjects - animals and butterflies. Her work hopes to give the viewer a feeling of hope, unity and emotion. 

Over the years she has developed a strong use of colour and butterflies. Inspired by nature's own colour palettes such as images from the Hubble telescope! Many of Chloe's pieces have hidden symbols or multiple elements that bring different viewpoints for the viewer to see repeatedly! 

Originally born in Lancashire and then re-locating to London to create art in a central studio for a couple of years, before more recently relocating to Bicester.

 

 


Thomas Shepherd

St Edburgs Church Bicester 72dpi smallDerbyshire born, Suffolk bred. I’m Thomas and I now live in Oxfordshire with my wife Emma and our five cats, six chickens, three bunnies and fish. I’m a landscape artist and novelist. My two main inspirations are the work of Edward Ardizzone and Rex Whistler, and my style is somewhere between the two.

I work principally in Indian Ink and Polychromos artists’ pencils and alongside my personal projects take commissions, which have included maps and book illustration.

As a published author, books are my passion, and I am currently working on a project to “illustrate myself around the country” and create The Booklover’s Guide to Bookshops, because, books and stories and words are important, and bookshops are universally beautiful places.

The illustrations included here are all available as originals or prints along with many more at www.teshepherdart.com.


David Meeks

David Meeks 2

 

David R Meeks - born in Kettering Northamptonshire. David now lives in Oxfordshire working as a professional artist and tutor.
He received no formal training whatsoever. He relies purely on his own talent and natural versatility. His work has been published as greeting cards as well as open and limited prints.

His paintings and prints are now eagerly collected by UK and overseas visitors. His success has led to his paintings being in many private collections in this country and abroad. His work can be found as far a field as America, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia, where his water colours of the Oxfordshire countryside have become renowned for their pleasing professional appeal.


 

Stuart Feurtado

Stuart Feurtado Fishings overStuart’s a self-taught photographer with no formal art training. Inspired by manmade and natural forms his work covers many photographic genres, all of which he approaches with an eye for composition and creativity. From vibrant colour abstracts to moody monochrome landscapes and all points between, his work has been well received.


Stuart’s exhibited with the Bicester art network at EYAP, Bicester Golf Club and the post COVID Welcome Back exhibition. He's exhibited at local art and craft fairs, bucks and Oxfordshire art weeks, the Thame Art Crawl and Thame Museum. He’s also held successful exhibitions in “stonework” Thame, the “A Little Bird Told Me” gallery in Wendover, the “stable” gallery at the Claydon Estate and “The Old Fire Station” gallery” in Henley.


 

Trevor Mockford

Trevor Mockford

My interest in art has transpired from very recent events. Firstly while providing assistance in setting up Oxfordshire Art Week, and then through local art tutorial groups. I am working mainly in watercolour, and my paintings reflect many of the holiday locations I have visited. I have take images from Cornwall, Devon, Norfolk and the northern areas of Scotland. My favourite geographical genres are landscapes and picturesque costal scenes. I have been inspired by many famous artists both local to the Bicester Arts Network, and much further afield. I am looking forward to perfecting my skills and techniques over the coming months by working with professional artists such as Peter Keagan, Charles Evans and Matthew Palmer.




 

Ruth Jakeman

Ruth Jakeman

"After studying Fashion Design at Art College my career has taken me from designing premium small leather goods to product design and development in the bespoke toiletries sector. A number of years ago I established my own freelance Graphic Design business, this has enabled me focus on developing my art practice.

I work mainly in acrylics, utilizing my own photographs as inspiration for many of my paintings. Recently I’ve become fascinated by the process of digitally overlaying two photos and adjusting the transparency and colour balance to create vibrant, unique and often unexpected images that I then interpret in paint. This method allows the exploration of many subject matters, with endless possibilities...."




Julie Bowne

Julie Bowne Beachcomers resizedMy love of art began in my childhood when I would spend hours drawing and painting. Mu claim to fame was when I not only earned a badge for some artwork but it was also displayed on the Blue Peter office notice board!
Life took over with work and family life, until recently I took up art classes and my the spark was rekindled! All the walls in my house soon filled and I began to do commissions for friends and acquaintances. It was then that I found Bicester Art Network. I have been privileged to exhibit with them and I hope to continue sharing my art work.

Please send me a message if you would like to commission a piece of art work. I can work in either oil, watercolour soft pastel or acrylic paint.


 

Carole Mockford

Carole Mockford Pottery

I have been making pottery since 2017 following a research career in medical health sciences. I studied ceramics part time over 4 years in Warwickshire and have attended nationwide expert workshops and ceramic events. Learning from masters of their craft builds my confidence to explore and push my ideas to new boundaries. I am particularly mindful of the part earth and nature play in the grounding of our senses and the translation of that into ancient pottery processes that continue to endure in today’s hi-tech world. The process of throwing clay on a pottery wheel, for example, has been described as meditative, often sensual, and improving emotional wellbeing. I have my own small studio and kiln and make small batches or one-off sculptural pieces.




 

  • Mon-Fri | 09:00-17:00 | Registered office: Rowood House, First Floor, Suite B, Murdock Road, Bicester, OX26 4PP