Hayley Goodhead

Contemporary fine artist with a distinct creative persuasion toward animals in either domesticated or wild eventualities, Hayley Goodhead is definitely riding on the crest of an artistic nu-wave, as she continues to emerge as one of the freshest and most innovative amongst a new breed of contemporary art practitioners out there. Goodhead’s primary skillset is the unique adaptation of her almost photo-realistic animals in illustrative cahoots with very familiar pop and fashion culture brands, symbols and/or patterns. Choose from any of Goodhead’s Spring 2013 ‘Animal Magic’ Collection should you need any further evidence, whereby the new artist uses Zebras, Bull Terriers, Scottie dogs and owls to devastating visual effect by pitting the aforementioned against an array of bar code, Burberry, dog tooth check, Paul Smith and target pictorial backdrops. Seriously, you have to check this out.

Born and brought up in Staffordshire, England, Goodhead displayed much promise and raw talent towards the subject of art in its various forms from an early age according to those in her close company during her formative years, and therefore it shocked no-one to learn that Goodhead wanted to heighten and further her interest and skillset within a higher educational surround. Which in Goodhead’s case was the University of Gloucestershire, where she undertook a BA (Hons) Fine Art degree course, from which she graduated in 2010, intent on pursuing a professional art career. This was encouraged by her being invited to complete a commission during her second year of study, fulfilling the brief of instilling the likeness of a black Labrador with much gusto. Additional commissions quickly followed for Goodhead, who by now had secured herself a weekend job to her fund her way through Uni and her immediate life on successful completion of her course.

That part-time role just happened to be in a local art gallery, chosen by Goodhead so that she could expose herself to an even greater range of artists and art styles in which to further inspire her as she developed and evolved her own style, which by this juncture had embraced the artistic worlds of animals and wildlife in general. Extra-curricular influences which she envisages on a personal level before she embarks on each piece of individual work include an acute awareness of popular brands and logotypes, the colours and patterns synonymous with certain fashion houses and high street labels and fusing everything together is Goodhead’s understanding and appreciation for that very British comedy institution, the visual joke. Then she harnessed everything together to originate and create her vivacious, witty and altogether quirky compositional numbers which have piqued the interest of a growing number of art lovers and collectors, more so since her recent collaboration with leading UK art publishers, DeMontford Fine Arts who Goodhead’s now signed up with going forward.

Back to Uni though, and on the back of the black Labrador commission, Goodhead soon found herself and her art skills in demand on the campus and much further afield, and before she knew it she was presenting her art professionally in terms of local exhibitions, as well as through the gallery in which she still worked, who themselves were more than happy to accommodate the contemporary artist in their art retailing midst. Nowadays, Goodhead’s original work is showcased both regionally and nationally to wide and growing acclaim amongst the art community and critics, based on her back catalogue as well as her latest ‘Animal Magic’ collection highlighted at the top.