The moment that I entered Hilary Morgan's home I could see I was going to meet another special Thames Ditton resident. A stunning display of some of Hilary's work, a watercolour of a beautiful African hunting dog and a subtle pencil drawing of a Steamer duck, welcomes every visitor.
Hilary - shown on the magazine cover
- has lived in Thames Ditton for twenty
years, loving its community spirit. She and
her husband Chris have two children,
Rebecca and Isobel. Children and mother
can often be heard practising music
together, the girls on flute and violin
accompanied by Hilary playing piano.
Hilary has a passionate interest in animals.
Studying Zoology at Reading University
further ignited this interest, although
deciding what subject to study was
difficult, as Hilary was also talented at art.
Still, she managed to develop her drawing
skills in her spare time, taking courses at
Wimbledon School of Art and Chelsea
College of Art and Design. It was while
studying illustration at Chelsea that Hilary
won a competition run by Virgin Atlantic
and the V&A to design one card, from a
pack of playing cards, using a brief of
Innovative Flight. Hilary's design for the
Five of Spades was chosen, resulting in an
exhibition at the Victoria and Albert
Museum, meeting Richard Branson and
having the cards sold on planes. The
stunning, decorative artwork for the pack
is displayed in Hilary's hall.
Hilary's supportive and skilled husband has built a studio in the family's back garden. Here Hilary finds inspiration to further her other talent in print making. Her breathtaking prints of animals and nature require much technical knowledge and skill. Studying at Richmond Adult Community College enables her to work on her own printing projects. She sells this work through personal recommendations and exhibitions.
Hilary was keen to inform me of an Exhibition of Local Artists, which is taking place between 10am and 4pm, on 27th May at St Nicholas's Church Hall. Hilary and other local artists will be showing and selling their work, with a percentage of the sales going to church funds. I look forward to seeing more of Hilary's work in May!
Marie Gale