Last weekend was the annual Members' Weekend for the Wildlife Art Society
International, of which I am Chairwoman.

We gather together at the wonderful Nature in Art Museum at Wallsworth Hall
near Gloucester, for a weekend of workshops, lectures and critique.

Not only is it a great learning experience for members, who are encouraged to
try out a new technique or media, but also of course, a very sociable time, giving
us the chance to network sociably and to learn from each other, so it's always a
very enjoyable event.

This year our Keynote speaker was one of our Patrons, the internationally
renowned artist Mandy Shepherd, daughter of the late famous David Shepherd, and
she gave us an energetic talk about her work and her father's, a constructive
critique of our work, and inspired us to continue our efforts to use our wildlife art to
raise consciousness about the hugely important issue of wildlife conservation.