Biography of artist Jo Sheppard
I was born in Grimsby (North East Lincolnshire), UK in 1969. Following an art and design foundation I undertook a Degree in Fine Art at Coventry University, graduating in 1991.It was during the degree course that I turned away from my main interest of photography, discovering a true passion for oil painting. As a consequence of visits to various European cities, I developed an interest in the ambiance characterised by strong architectural features, quality of light and patina created through decay. Creatively interpreting this became the focus of my work.
I trained to become a teacher of art in 1996, and found it an incredibly fulfilling and satisfying career move. However, teaching full time drained my creativity, leaving me with very little out of school. It wasn't until I took a parenthood career break that I was able to dedicate more time to painting- and that brings me to where we are today- looking after the little ones, painting whenever the opportunity arises.
My interest in the organic and architectural form of the fossil reinforces my interest in erosion and decay, with its subsequent incidental beauty. Although this subject matter perhaps seems very different from my focus on architectural surfaces, there are significant parallels such as the decay, complicated structural qualities, patina, symmetry, and texture.
During the last couple of years I have enjoyed being a member and active committee member of the Loughborough based art group Artspace which has enabled me to exhibit with likeminded contemporary artists. The highlight of my early artistic career was to exhibit in the 2005 Venice Biennale.
2007 has been an excellent year. I held my first solo show, moved into a huge studio, received a bursary (to hold solos shows in 2008) and was elected to join the LSA (Leicestershire Society of Artists).
If you would like to see further works, more paintings can be viewed on my website www.josheppard.co.uk.