Ann Holden MA VetMB MRCVS
About Ann
As a teenager, Ann began to draw horses as a (not very good!) substitute for having her own pony. After qualifying as a vet in 1980, Ann went into small animal practice and in 1989, opened her own surgery, Churchview Veterinary Surgery, on the Wirral.
Ann remained at Churchview until 2000, treating dogs and cats, rabbits and reptiles and other ‘small furries’, ably assisted by her black Labradors, Brecon and then Archie. In a little spare time she did drawings and animal portraits for her own satisfaction.
Since then, Ann has worked as a volunteer vet for an Indian charity (three months in West Bengal) a care worker and, more recently, a medical writer, in addition to setting up ArtisAnn Pet Portraits.
Currently, Ann is Editor of Talking Point, the newsletter of the UK Coloured Pencil Society (UKCPS). She also helps to produce and print the newsletter for the North West Calligraphers’ Association (NWCA).
Ann is particularly interested in coloured pencil as a serious art medium and she feels it is particularly suited to both human and animal portraiture. (On this page only the bullock, on the left below, is coloured pencil!)
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Images of Fordhall Farm
Ann spent time in the area with one of the local vets when she was a student so bought a share in the farm. She wondered what else she could do to help in a small way so, after a couple of visits to the farm, she made some greetings cards from her paintings of the farm animals [link to paintings?] and gave them for sale in the farm shop. One of the original paintings (of a Hereford cow and calf) was bought by Charlotte and Sophie (then the Project Manager) as a Christmas present for Ben.