Hayley Noakes

My work centres on wildlife and wild spaces, with animals forming the quiet heart of each piece. I’m drawn to moments of stillness — the sense of watching, waiting, and observing animal behaviour within a given landscape. I aim to create a feeling of wildness that feels attentive, allowing space and pause to play an important role.

There is a folkloric quality to my work. The animals I depict are not anatomically perfect, but symbolic and intuitive, shaped as much by mood and meaning as by observation. They sit within layered environments that suggest narrative, season, and a sense of lived landscape, rather than literal place.

I work primarily with collage, combining painted papers with materials such as pastel, pencil, and ink. I paint my own papers, building texture and surface slowly so that each piece develops through layering, adjustment, and response. I’m particularly drawn to weathered and timeworn materials, often incorporating ephemera to introduce a sense of age, fragility, and history.

Seasonal change is an important influence in my work, especially the autumn and winter landscape. Autumn’s colour, falling leaves, and richness of tone sit alongside the quieter structure of winter — bare trees, muted palettes, and moments of stillness that allow the presence of wildlife to come forward without distraction.

My original artworks are held in private collections across the UK and abroad. Alongside original works, I also produce fine prints of selected pieces. My work is shown in galleries and temporary exhibitions and is available through my website.

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