Tina Bone

Professional artist since March 2005—after a “lifetime” of typing Theses and scientific papers (early days) and then as a self-employed desktop publisher (typesetting and illustration).

She was told by her primary school teacher in 1957: “You could be an artist when you grow up”, and has never thought she could not draw and paint purely by that little statement when just a child of seven years. After painting all her life as a hobby, Tina decided to become professional so that the burning feeling she felt of needing to be creative could be extinguished. Ultimately, the flame grew bigger and the feeling is more elevated to a point where she now suffers withdrawal symptoms if she does not paint!

Initially veering towards botanical illustration Tina attended several courses with the Continuing Education courses run by Madingley Hall which resulted in receiving points towards a degree. However, after taking too long to “cash in” her points, she missed the boat and the points had to be discarded! Not phased by this, in 2008 she was successful in becoming an Associate member of the Society of Botanical Artists, winning a Certificate of Botanical Excellence in 2010. But it was not for her and she ceased membership after 2015. However, in November 2017 Tina was delighted to be elected a member of the Iceni Botanical Artists, whose rules are not quite so rigid and it is nearer to her home. 

Tina’s three areas of subject interest are Natural History, Botanical Illustration, and Illuminated lettering with gold leaf. She works mostly in water colour, but also dabbles with oil, polychromos oil pencils, and graphite, only working with acrylic under duress—”I find it is like painting with liquid plastic!”

Commissions have included the three main subjects mentioned above as well as, for example, a huge gas stationary engine, and pet and people portraits!

In 2004 Tina designed and planted a small ‘wild’ garden to provide live subjects such as frogs, newts, toads and all manner of insects, including lesser stag beetles, hedgehogs and wood mice, as well as many bird-spotting opportunities. Black and grey squirrels also visited. Sadly, since they built houses at the bottom of her garden in 2010, there are no longer visits from hedgehogs; the squirrels are few and far between, and the bird life to the feeders is almost non-existent, except for jackdaws (who have now learnt how to land on the feeders and shake them so that the food falls out and to the ground!), plus a few starlings, doves and pigeons. Little birds are rare visitors.

Whenever possible, Tina paints life-size using live specimens or resource photographs she has taken herself, and from memory. She relies on many friends and acquaintances to let her use their fabulous photographs from wider travels, and she would never be able to paint exotic flora and fauna were it not for their kindness and generosity.