Long Sutton artist Neil Burton was drawn to his craft
He was surrounded by art growing up and always enjoyed drawing, but it wasn’t until a couple of years ago that Neil Burton finally gave into the urge to put pencil to paper and unleash his potential.
It was after doodling a wren while chatting on the phone back in 2018, that the dad of two realised just how much he enjoyed drawing and so challenged himself to complete a colour picture of a dog.
Family and friends praised his efforts and he soon found himself with requests for commissions, which spurred him on to take the plunge and set up his own business drawing pets and wildlife from his Long Sutton home.
“I’d always drawn in graphite and had been afraid of using colour, as I thought I’d ruin my pictures,” says Neil, a former Grenadier Guardsman and police officer.
“The first colour picture I drew was of our terrier Benny. I showed my wife Cathy and then tentatively shared it on Facebook and people were really supportive.
“Then I was asked to draw someone else’ dog and it’s just sort of grown from there – I completed one commission, shared a picture online and then another one came along.
“I’m completely self-taught, but I think it’s hereditary as my dad is an artist and paints watercolour and acrylic landscapes and my grandfather painted in oils as a hobby too.
“I’ve grown up completely surrounded by art, although I’ve always shied away from sharing my own – until recently.”
After leaving school Neil decided against a career as a technical illustrator, and instead joined the army, before moving to Norfolk Police. He admits in all that time he barely picked up a pencil to draw, but the urge kept coming back.
He left the police to explore more flexible roles and currently works as a window cleaner although eventually hopes to make art his main job.
“I love drawing – I find it really relaxing. I’ve been looking at different techniques and mediums online.
“I’ve gone from graphite, to coloured pencils, to pastels, which I’m finding is a lovely medium to work in. It’s really versatile as you can blend them and the colours are amazing.
“I’ve always loved animals and wildlife and that’s where a lot of my inspiration comes from; there are always a lot of birds around here and whenever I go out on my bike I usually see something, whether it’s a flower or an insect.
“When I first started it used to take about 20 hours to complete a piece, now I’m down to about nine or ten.”
Unfortunately, Neil’s plans to show some of his work in local exhibitions has been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, although he has recently put some pieces into a gallery in Old Hunstanton, in Norfolk to help generate more interest in his work.
He also has a website and dedicated Facebook page to showcase his drawings and is currently working on a number of commissions ahead of the busy Christmas period.
* To find out more about Neil’s work or to commission him visit his website www.neilwilliam.art or his Facebook page @neilwillamartist
