Artists : Jessica Johnson

I grew up in the Royal Forest of Dean, ambling through woody thickets inspecting fungi and rescuing any small animal that strayed across my path, injured or not. It was a magical place to grow up and hugely influences my artwork.

At the age of about 7, I announced to my family that I was going to be an artist and would be off to University, some years passed and my dream was realised, as I went to study illustration and animation at Kingston University.

After I had graduated, I worked in numerous bookshops, always hidden away in the children’s book section and after lots of picture book gazing I applied to work temporarily at a children’s book publisher in London. I stayed there for three and a half years working as a designer where I learnt about lots of exciting things such as; typography and how to cut out a perfect paper snowflake.

I loved being a designer, but dealing with illustrators everyday only made me realise more than ever that it was what I wanted to do, what I am. I left London and went back to my rural routes where I now live with my boyfriend Tim and our gorgeous but completely bonkers saluki, Peanut; happily illustrating the gorgeous flora and fauna around us.