Eleanor Ludgate - Artist's Profile

From a very early age Eleanor has shown a keen interest in both art and nature. Growing up in an artistic family with a talented grandfather, uncles, aunts and cousins, a brother who was a marine artist and a father who painted throughout his lifetime: it is hardly surprising that from the age of three Eleanor has hardly been apart from pencil and paper.
Born in Surrey, England, Eleanor studied at Guildford College of  Art where she did a three year course in fabric design. Although she did not continue in this line of art it's influence can be clearly seen in all her paintings where her keen sense of design is combined with her love of nature.
After moving to Devonshire in 1970 Eleanor was so inspired by the beauty and rich variety of it's countryside that she combined her two great interests and started her professional career as a wildlife artist. Since then her work has become internationally known for it's exquisite detail.
Initially specialising in wildflowers her work was soon snapped up be greetings card companies and also reproduced as prints, calendars and for book illustrations: her work is in collections and museums worldwide.
In 1987 Eleanor launched the "Ludgate Studio" card and publishing company, and in 1989 she opened "The Ludgate Gallery" in Sidmouth, Devon.
In 1999 after a busy ten years in her gallery in Sidmouth Eleanor decided she needed a complete change of scenery and quiter lifestyle and moved with her husband Barry to France. Attracted by it's light and beauty she chose Provence like so many artists before her.
In the year 2000 she opened " La Galerie d'Eleanor" in the pretty ochre village of Roussillon in the Luberon and for eight years absorbed herself in painting the flowers, birds and scenery of Provence.
In 2008 Eleanor moved back to England returning to Devonshire, this time to live on Dartmoor where she is now the proud owner of a new gallery 'Ludgate Fine Art' in the charming stannary town of Chagford. Here she has started a new venture "Devon's Nature In Art" which will be a permanent exhibition of her many and varied paintings of Devon and it's flora and fauna. There is also a room devoted to her paintings of Provence.A large collection of her fine watercolours of birds and also a collection of Butterfly & insect paintings as Eleanor is very concerned about their rapid decline & hopes that her work will bring attention to this and in a small way help in saving their habitat so future generations will still be able to enjoy their exquisite beauty. A percentage of the sale of these paintings will be donated to butterfly conservation.
At present Eleanor is working on a group of Dartmoor views in oil on hanmade paper, she hopes to have these hanging in the gallery before this Christmas 2009