Meet Minnie Teckman at the South Northants Art Trail

Born in Northamptonshire in the 1970s, Minnie Teckman was always interested in painting and drawing. She recalls being absorbed in programmes such as ‘Painting with Nancy’, ‘Take Heart’ and ‘A Country Diary as An Edwardian Lady’ as a child.

Curiosity for the natural world and her interest in animals meant she spent hours just observing them, which then lead to a desire to capture them in her art. She took A level art, but it wasn’t seen as a career choice for her then. However, her desire to be an artist was always there and she never stopped drawing. Working in a variety of different jobs, she could be found sketching in quiet moments, secretly, on scrap pieces of paper, squirrelling them away in her pocket, never to be shared.

A career as a vet nurse throughout her 20 and 30s satisfied her desire to be with animals and science but the art was missing – she still visited exhibitions and galleries and dabbled with pet portraits but wanted more. In 2005, she left her nursing career to do a degree in Fine Art and since then she has been building her art career alongside being a mum and has also returned to vet nursing part time. Exhibiting regularly in Northamptonshire and nationwide.

Her practice is routed in drawing and mark making. Painting was a love for quite a while, but more recently you can find her covered in charcoal, sketching from life outside, in her studio in Burns Street or on her kitchen table. She teaches drawing for beginners, hoping to pass on her love for drawing from life and helping people feel a freedom to create for the joy of it.

You can see more of Minnie’s work on her website, Instagram or Facebook, or by coming along to the South Northants Art Trail at Yardley Arts, from Saturday 2 to Sunday 10 October.