Marie Curran

I was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where I currently live and gained a degree in Design from the University of Ulster in 1994.

The main inspiration for my artwork is the natural world and animals in particular. I have done pet portraits and other commissions for many years and enjoy drawing any animals but cats most of all - big and small (despite the whiskers!). Opportunities to photograph wildlife subjects for reference material are something I really enjoy.

I work in a variety of media including pastels but my most detailed work is in both colour and graphite pencils.

In the last few years I have also started exploring a love of still life drawing and have had several of these selected for the annual Royal Ulster Academy exhibitions. One important aspect of my work is that the artwork I produce should be lightfast and permanent and as a result all the materials I use are of high, archival quality.