Find out more about Fenland Artists and their work.
Throwing a spotlight on artists in the local area...
Welcome to Fenland Arts!
This website is a passion project for a group of artists and writers who are looking to promote the work created by Fenland Artists.
The Cambridgeshire Fens cover around 200 miles of flat farming land which provides an ever-changing muse for dozens of artists throughout the area. The area is rife with impressive vistas to be admired from shady corners, with plenty of opportunities for artists of all mediums to take inspiration.
On this website you’ll find plenty of info regarding artists in the Fenlands area, as well as opportunities for you to get involved in making some of our own art in the local area.
Get in touch with the team behind Fenland Arts to find out more about what we do and read on to discover more about artists in the Fens!
Thanks to the incredibly scenic landscapes offered in the Fenlands, it will come as no surprise that there’s a long-standing tradition of painters that call the area their home.
The wide-flats and varied fauna offer limitless combinations of textures to use as inspiration, not to mention the bustling wildlife that populates the land. Dozens of fine artists, using a range of mediums, make use of the Fens as a base, so we’ve decided to shine a spotlight on a few of them in this post.
Nick Tearle
Making the move from corporate graphic design to oil painting in 2015, Nick Tearle attribute much of his current success as a Fenland artist to his Father who he asserts as being most influential on his capabilities as an artist. Nick splits his time between running his framing shop, Fenland Frames, and painting in the great outdoors, and has sold over 50 originals to private collections both within and outside of the UK. An active part of both the Lincolnshire Artists Society and the Welland Valley Art Society, Nick is a prominent member of the Fenland artists’ community.
Lizzie Madder
Light and the way that it transforms the flooded meadows of the Fens is just one obsession of Cambridgeshire based painter Lizzie Madder. Working mainly in watercolours, Lizzie takes inspiration from the every changing palette that the Fens presents her throughout the seasons, particularly taking notice of how the autumn and winter light creates a feeling of blissful isolation which she tries to communicate in her work. Studying at Loughborough College of Art, she would later go on to study Botanical Art before moving to Cambridgeshire, where her style underwent a significant upheaval to the more impressionistic work she produces today.
Anthony Day
Anthony’s work in the Fenland spans an impressive 60 years. Born in 1922, his work is inextricably linked to the vast open landscapes that the Fens encompass. The son of a farmer, Anthony served in the Royal Army Medical Corps before studying at Cambridge School of Art, graduating in 1952. In addition to exhibiting over 80 one-man shows, he has written fourteen books on the local history of the Fens and regularly welcomes visitors into his studio in Wicken in collaboration with Cambridge Open Studios. His work is predominantly in gouache, utilising a subtle palette of colours that perfectly capture the Fens’ natural light.
John Abbott
Known by many as ‘The Fenland Artist’, John Abbot is an artist born and raised in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fenlands. His work encompasses a wide range of mediums, but he is best known for his watercolour depictions of wildflower and the wetlands that they call home. A self-taught painter, John regularly exhibits in conjunction with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and can often be found selling his work (in addition to promoting the arts) throughout the area. Despite not having any formal training, John has also built a reputation as a capable teacher who encourages his students to, above all else, paint for their own satisfaction rather than of others.
