Avril Sleeman S.O.F.A.
She is a member of Croydon Art Society and has exhibited with them and other Societies in the South East. She has had several solo shows at the Miller Centre, Caterham and for 25 years organised a group of artists known as "Mixed Media" which exhibited all over South London. Avril was born and brought up in Croydon where she attended Old Palace School and studied Art to A level. After leaving school, she continued with her studies at evening classes at Croydon Art School, concentrating on etching and various forms of printmaking.
She has always loved cats, but only got her own in 1979 and since then has had several, all rescues, the most recent of whom, Tilly, was a marvelous and cheeky subject for etchings. When looking for subject matter in her cat portraits she likes cats with character rather than breeding; consequently the resulting etchings are usually "moggies" with attitude.