Pictured is ‘Sir David’ by Danielle Tomlinson displayed on the Art Trail at Fosse Park and designed in honour of Sir David Attenborough, the famous British broadcaster and natural historian. This fox’s vibrant appearance highlights the beauty of all living things on our planet, and reflects the philosophy of Sir David who studied right here in Leicester, at University College.

It was a pleasure to welcome back Danielle Tomlinson, former student of English Martyrs’, on Tuesday 18th January to the Art Department.

Danielle left us in 2016 to go on to study Sport Science at Loughborough. A talented swimmer, Danielle had competed at a very high level nationally and had also travelled abroad to compete for Great Britain during her A Levels.

Danielle visited the Art Department to talk with Year 8, Year 11 and Sixth Form about her career path to becoming a Professional Artist. After studying for her Fine Art A Level here, whilst at University, Danielle kept up her Art practice. She began to sell pet portrait drawings on a small scale. Once she graduated, she began to consider which direction she wanted to take and decided to explore painting animals on a large scale again, as she had done for her Personal Investigation at A Level.

Danielle shared with our students that she comes from a family of animal lovers and how she used to sit watching David Attenborough documentaries when she was younger, whilst creating little hybrid creature sketches. Students had prepared questions and listened intently to Danielle’s inspiring answers. She brought several examples of current work, including commissions, to share with our students. She encouraged the students to think about their own work and that having goals and focusing on practicing to improve and being resilient when things may not go to plan is key. She also explained how she has grown her business through social media and ships her Art to numerous countries, including the US. Danielle has now secured representation by the top galleries in the UK. All by the tender age of 23!

We feel so grateful to have had Danielle visit us and share her stunning work with us and hope to welcome her back again in the future, maybe with David Attenborough next time!