ANNE BANNELL - PAINTER

Born and raised in Norfolk, I began my career as an air stewardess before moving onto the BBC working on current affairs programmes in the early 80's.

In 1985 I started my own knitwear business which led onto having a book of patterns published and then shops in Cambridge. The shops changed over the years and are now souvenir shops aimed at visitors to Cambridge and are still owned by me and my husband Steve. Our son William is taking over the running as we enjoy some downtime.

When Covid forced lockdown I had plenty of time to indulge in painting as never before. Working mainly with acrylic paints, I developed a distinctive style and also experimented with digital formats. The 'studio' is set up in the dining room for the time being! I don’t need a lot of space and it’s warm and comfortable. Just have to clear it all away when we have guests! I enjoy listening to audio books while painting and have got through loads over the last couple of years.