Photo by Jo Monk
Abby had the good fortune of being born into a highly creative family. Both her parents were teachers in the Arts – secondary and University level – and instilled in her the value of Art, of education and community from infancy. Her mother was exceptional artist and calligrapher, her sister Celia Wilkinson a highly successful international artist, both painting in the spirit of British Landscape Painters. Her daughter Lilium Wilkinson-O'Dwyer is a prodigious talent and a prize winning self taught painter.
Abby now has over 30 years’ Art and Design experience, both professionally and pedagogically and has worked for and with many high calibre clients such as Paul Smith, Red or Dead, Financial Times, Banafshe Schippel and Paperchase, to name a few.
“Working with Abby Wilkinson is an extraordinary experience. She always brings new, fresh ideas to any project and makes you wish, why didn’t I think of that?
At meetings, she listens intensely and formulates a plan that works for everyone. She can be brutally honest but only in the interests of the project and when she talks she commands attention because what she has to say is on point and interesting.
Abby is a blue sky thinker but is never fanciful – she understands practicality. She takes on any brief, provides pragmatic solutions and offers a range of solutions that never let down. As a result, I never tire of commissioning Abby.”
Will Harvey (former Art Director, Observer Life, Daily Mail, Erotic Review)
“As a teacher, Abby is nothing but inspirational and will nurture the most difficult student and get the best out of them, at the same time pushing the most able in directions they initially find uncomfortable towards new heights of achievement. Drawing from a pool of exceptional talent that she has known and worked with over the years, her resources are always contemporary but deeply woven into their historic influences.
She’s never afraid of mucking in and getting her hands dirty and takes great joy out of leading by example. Abby draws every day and is never without a camera, she is a fine draughtsperson. In addition, her colour sense is unrivalled – she understands the psychology and power of colour in painting as well as in design.”
Endorsed by Tony Maestri (former Head of Photography, Bournemouth)
Graham Crowley (former Professor of Painting, RCA)
Abby is patient, empathetic, caring, frighteningly talented and a born leader who works well with a team while maintaining her unique individuality. She has a passion for art and for life, a quality that is truly infectious and rewarding.
She has worked as an Art Project Worker in Brixton Prison and in residential homes for the elderly and infirm in Tower Hamlets as well as primary, secondary, adult and further education.
DIGITAL
Fluent in Adobe Creative Suite (particularly Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign) proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint.
PRACTICAL
Drawing, painting, colour mixing, stencilling.
Photography – both digital and analogue. Textile/surface design, digital pattern manipulation – for print and digital platforms.
Photography – both digital and analogue. Textile/surface design, digital pattern manipulation – for print and digital platforms.