Mike Norris
Artist

Mike Norris was born in England in the village of Tadley, in the southern county of Hampshire where he still lives today. The surrounding area and its peaceful setting has a lot of wildlife, from which he draws a lot of his inspiration and subject matter.

Mike studied art under the well know British sporting artist, Berrisford Hill. The works of George McLean and Ray Harris-Ching have also influenced his work. He also has a passion for British Victorian art, especially the works of the Pre-Raphaelites, the Newlyn School and the Social Realists like Sir George Clausen. In addition to painting wildlife, in 1987 he started painting equestrian subjects. Again, subject matter was easily obtainable as several race courses such as Newbury, Windsor, Salisbury, Sandown and Kempton Park were within a short distance. He exhibited in London for several years with the Society of Equestrian Artists and was elected an associate member after only his second exhibition with them. This, in turn, has lead to many private commissions.

Mike is also a member of the Hawk Conservancy, The Waterfowl and Wetlands Trust and Birdworld: all recognized as major centers of breeding and conservation for both British and Internationally endangered species. He has donated several paintings to help raise funds towards conservation.

Mike's other interests include reading, collecting books on wildlife and art, and listening to most forms of music. He also has just started to experiment with sculpture under the watchful eye of British sculptress, Gill Parker.