Joanna’s, Call of the Wild, solo show was held at Gallery One, Barns, London. The write up on the invite said ‘Not many artists can give up an established career path and open their own gallery and make it an instant success – but that is exactly what Joanna May has done. Gallery One is delighted to be holding Joanna’s first London solo exhibition. Joanna has been approached by the BBC to talk about her work and the inspiration she has derived from Britain’s wildlife in the forthcoming series ‘Springwatch with Bill Oddie’. Hosted by Britain’s most famous bird watcher, it will be aired on BBC2 later this year. Joanna had a highly successful 10-year career as a wildlife illustrator, before returning to painting fulltime. Initially she was painting hares, owls and birds of prey and the response from the public was phenomenal, with each painting being sold as soon as they were hung in the gallery. May donated a painting for Cancer Research’s annual auction at Christies. She used this as an opportunity to do something different – the first Zebra painting was conceived. The Zebra’s caused great enthusiasm amongst the bidders and went on to achieve the highest price for a painting in the auction. While she continues to paint British wildlife, it is the African animal kingdom which is currently proving such a rich source of inspiration. In January Joanna travelled to South Africa’s Kruger National Park. ‘Witnessing the hierarchy of the animals and their movement – you learn so much’ Joanna was also featured in the ‘Who’s Who in Art’ 2004 edition. Like many other artists who paint wildlife, Joanna is passionate about animal conservation. The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust was founded by Gerald Durell, the famous author and naturalist over forty years ago. Their mission is to save endangered species from extinction.’ Mike Read, ex DJ and ‘I’m a Celebrity’ will be auctioning off a Zebra painting to raise money for ‘Gerald Durell Wildlife’ and Lee Durell, Gerald Durells widow and CEO of The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust will also be attending.