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Harriet Mead

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Harriet Mead
Born (1969-09-02) 2 September 1969 (age 55)
Tring, England
NationalityBritish
EducationSt Albans College, Norwich School of Art
Known forWildlife art, installation art, sculpture
Notable workSuffolk Trinity
AwardsCapmark Wildlife Award 2007

Harriet Rebecca Mead (born 2 September 1969) is an English wildlife artist specialising in metal sculptures.[1][2]

Mead's work is inspired by animals and birds. From an early age she was encouraged to observe and develop a keen interest in British wildlife due to the influence of her late father, Chris Mead,[3] who was a well-known author and broadcaster. She uses personal experiences and direct observation to provide inspiration for her work. The countryside and wildlife around her home in Hilborough in rural Norfolk and her travels in Asia and Africa, provide subject matter for her work. She received formal art education during a foundation year at St Albans College, followed by a degree in Fine Art at the Norwich School of Art.[4]

After showing at its annual show for several years, Mead was elected a full member of the Society of Wildlife Artists, SWLA. In 2004, she was elected to Council of the SWLA and won the Society's Capmark Award in 2007 and was runner-up in 2006.[5][6] In 2009, she was elected as the Society's President, making her the youngest and first woman to hold the post in the Society's 47-year history. Mead continued to hold the position of president through at least October 2020.[7][8]

Her work

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Chameleon by Harriet Mead

Although predominately a sculptor, Mead also produces drawings and prints, but focuses on using steel to create her sculptures. Her steel sculptures fall into two categories;- the "true-to-life" form made predominantly from sheet steel that resemble as accurately as possible the species being created, and "found objects" in which Mead uses everyday objects to produce an abstract form of the animal.

Mead tends to work to commission, but does maintain a few examples of her work in key galleries.[9] She seems to be able to tackle any subject from the natural world.

Art and conservation

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Peafowl by Harriet Mead

Mead has used her art to promote and raise funds for conservation and animal charities. Most notably amongst the organisations she has supported are the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, the Countryside Education Foundation[10] and the Suffolk Horse Society.[11] Together with other leading international wildlife artists Mead has taken part in two Artists for Nature Foundation[12][13][14] projects, which bring artists together to promote and raise funds for conservation projects around the world, including the Great Fen Project in Cambridgeshire, and the Hula Valley in Israel.

Public art

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Suffolk Trinity by Harriet Mead

Mead has produced two large-scale public art pieces. One is the Suffolk Trinity[15] which includes a life-size Suffolk Punch horse, a Suffolk Ram and a Suffolk Redpoll Bull providing an impressive feature at the entrance of Trinity Park (the Suffolk show ground), near Ipswich. The other is a life-size heavy horse being led by a man at Dromore, West Tyrone, Northern Ireland.[16]

Awards

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In 2023, Mead was awarded the Dilys Breese Medal of the British Trust for Ornithology.[17]

Further reading

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  • The Great Fen (Artists for Nature in England) by Chris Gerrard, Langford Press, Peterborough (2007) ISBN 1-904078-13-3
  • Drawing Inspiration from the Hula Valley (Artists for Nature in Israel) by Zev Labinger & Edna Gorney, SPNI, Tel Aviv (2011) ISBN 978-965-371-011-5
  • Art for the Love of Sark, A contemporary portrait of a changing Island by Renate Zoller, Gateway Publishing, Sark (2012) ISBN 978-190-247-109-9

References

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  1. ^ "Members: Harriet Mead". Society of Wildlife Artists. Archived from the original on 16 May 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  2. ^ Symes, Gunild (2016). "Harriet Mead Portfolio" (PDF). X-Ray International Dive Magazine. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  3. ^ Unwin, Brian (21 January 2003). "Chris Mead". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Sculptors - Harriet Mead". Pinkfoot Gallery. Archived from the original on 25 October 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  5. ^ Tyrrell, Katherine (4 October 2007). "Society of Wildlife Artists at the new Mall Galleries". Making a Mark.
  6. ^ "The Call of the Wild: Exciting New Work To Opens". Art Daily. 22 June 2007. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012.
  7. ^ "Current SWLA Council". Society of Wildlife Artists. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  8. ^ Winter, Stuart (27 July 2015). "Look again: Wildlife artist's seascapes like a vivid photo". Express. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  9. ^ "Harriet Mead". Buckenham Galleries. Archived from the original on 16 July 2003. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Silent Auction - CLA Game Fair - Harewood House, Leeds, 27th-29th July 2007". The Countryside Foundation for Education. Archived from the original on 30 October 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  11. ^ Phillips, Carol (29 October 2003). "Sculpture raises funds for rare breed". Horse & Hound. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  12. ^ "Harriet Mead at Work". Artists for Nature Foundation. Archived from the original on 10 December 2008. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Education Projects at Local Schools". Artists for Nature Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  14. ^ "Sark, Artists for Nature Foundation 20th anniversary project". Artists for Nature Foundation. 5 May 2016. Archived from the original on 21 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Visual Arts Listings in and around Ipswich - Making the Connection Artists Directory - Public Art in Ipswich". The Townhall Galleries - Ipswich. 2004. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  16. ^ Allen, Kenneth (20 February 2007). "The Dromore ploughman". Geograph Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  17. ^ "Medallists". British Trust for Ornithology. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
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