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About
2006 | MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martin’s College of Art & Design |
2003 | Foundation Studies Art & Design Diploma, City Literary Institute |
2000 | Diploma Botanical Painting, Chelsea Physic Garden |
1979 | BA History of Art, University of Sussex |
Solo | ||
2022 | Mending the Pysche Peltz Gallery Birkbeck University of London | |
2021 | In Circles Handel Street Projects, London | |
2020-1 | Travelling Companions Art ARB, University of Cambridge | |
2018 | Breathe Freud Museum, London | |
2017 | Art in Focus: Fay Ballard Charing Cross Hospital, London | |
2015 | Alligators in the Hall Centre for Recent Drawing, London | |
Alligators in the Hall Caroline Wiseman, Aldeburgh | ||
House Clearance & Model Gallery, Leeds | ||
2014 | House Clearance Eleven Spitalfields Gallery, London | |
Group | ||
2024 | Essential Structures Gerald Moore Gallery, London | |
2023 | Summer Show Handel Street Projects, London | |
Lines of Empathy Close Ltd, Somerset | ||
Exploring a Royal Vision Garrison Chapel London | ||
2022 | Lines of Empathy Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London | |
2021 | Highgrove Florilegium Garrison Chapel, London | |
Public Intimacy Confer Karnac Centre, London | ||
2018 | Transylvania Florilegium, National Gallery, Bucharest & Romanian Cultural Institute, London | |
Pharmacopoeia Royal College of Physicians, London | ||
Discerning Eye (selected by Frances Hedges, Harper’s Bazaar) | ||
2017 | Family Reunion Pi Artworks, London | |
Summer Exhibition Royal Academy of Arts | ||
2015 | Grand Magasin Deux French Riviera Gallery, London | |
2011 | Summer Exhibition Royal Academy of Arts | |
2010 | Discerning Eye (selected by Dr Judy Collins, art historian) Fay Ballard Summerleaze Gallery, Salisbury Dr Sherwood Collection Teylers Museum, Netherlands Dr Sherwood Collection Marucube Gallery, Tokyo Watercolour Biennale Museo della Carta e della Filigrana, Italy | |
2009 | The Highgrove Florilegium Garden Museum, London Sunday Times Watercolour Competition Dr Sherwood Collection Nijo-jo Castle, Kyoto | |
2008 | The Highgrove Florilegium Huntington Art Collections, USA The Highgrove Florilegium School Interior Design New York | |
2007 | Hot – Recent Graduates Collyer Bristow Gallery, London | |
2006 | Dr Sherwood Collection S.Togo Memorial Sompo Museum of Art, Tokyo | |
2024 | Artist in residence, Pier Arts Centre Orkney Islands |
2019 | Study trip to Iran to research art and architecture |
2018 | Art of Islamic Pattern Study Trip to Fez, Morocco: drawing geometric & biomorphic art |
2018 | Pharmacopoeia: drawing the medicinal garden: Royal College of Physicians |
2017-18 | Visiting artist Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial Health Charity (NHS) |
2016 | Field Trip & Residency Transylvania: The Prince’s Foundation to draw plants for Transylvania Florilegium |
2005 | Field Trip: The Prince’s Foundation to draw plants for Highgrove Florilegium |
Teaching
The Drawing Room Research Forum London, Royal Academy of Arts, Freud Museum, Royal College of Art MA Cross Currents, Camberwell Art School MA Printmaking, Wimbledon Art School MA Painting Research ‘Punk Suburbia’, British Library, Birkbeck College University of London, Universities of: Cambridge, Huddersfield, Leicester, Leeds, King’s College London, & Anglia Ruskin, WPF Therapy, The Drawing Room Research Forum London.
Elected Member, Royal Watercolour Society 2007 (retired 2019)
Selected Recent Conferences
‘Drawings Conversations 4: Engaging with sites of history and narrative’ University of Huddersfield 2022
‘Art as Reparation’ Birkbeck College University of London 2022
‘What is your travelling Companion?’ University of Cambridge 2021.
‘The Reparative Act’ Freud Museum 2016.
Award
Drawing Center New York Recognition Award 2015
Collections
Imperial Health NHS Charity Trust, New Hall Art Collection Cambridge; The Late HM The Queen; HM King Charles III; The Prince’s Foundation; Winsor & Newton; Royal Watercolour Society; Royal College of Physicians, Dr Shirley Sherwood Collection
Committee Membership
2018 – present Imperial Health Charity Arts Committee (NHS)
2021 Covid Legacy Arts Committee, Imperial Health Charity (NHS)
2004-2006 Victoria Miro Educational Trust`
1998-2002 Camden Arts Centre Trustee
I draw. My drawings comprise three major bodies of work:
Circles (2019 to present)

Autobiography (2010 to 2018)

Plants (2000 to 2016)
I’m interested in psychological ideas about the artist’s process, believing that drawing is both a conscious and unconscious act where internal and external worlds meet.
Circles
In 2019, I visited Iran to research art and architecture and drew concentric circles inspired by domes of mosques and archaeological sites. These were presented in a solo show ‘In Circles’ at Handel Street Projects London (2021) curated by Fedja Klikovak. A selection was included in a travelling drawings show and publication ‘Lines of Empathy’ led by artist Giulia Ricci, at Patrick Heide Gallery Contemporary London (2022) and at Close Ltd Somerset (2023) as well as ‘Essential Structures’ at Gerald Moore Gallery London. In 2023, I began exploring Neolithic sites and in 2024 made circle drawings in response with coloured wax on handmade papers. Their directness reflects my experience of visiting these sites. This May, I was artist in residence at Pier Arts Centre, Orkney Islands, inspired by the Neolithic sites.
Autobiography
After my father’s death in 2009, I explored my childhood in a series of drawings shown at Freud Museum, Charing Cross Hospital, Peltz Gallery Birkbeck London, & Model Gallery Leeds, Eleven Spitalfields Gallery London and University of Cambridge. These will be published in ‘Drawing as Placemaking: Environment, History and Identity’ edited by Jill Journeaux and Simon Woolham (Bloomsbury 2025).
Plants
Fay was commissioned by The Prince’s Foundation to draw plants growing at Highgrove and in Transylvania for two florilegiums that were published in four limited facsimile editions. The Royal College of Physicians commissioned Fay to draw plants growing in its medicinal garden for a contemporary herbal to celebrate its 500th year. These drawings were shown in exhibitions including Garden Museum London, Royal College of Physicians, National Gallery Romania, New York College Art & Design and Huntington Library Los Angeles.
Engagement
I teach, lecture and run workshops working with galleries, museums and universities including Royal Academy of Arts, Camberwell College of Art and Freud Museum. My interests involve arts and health; I sit on Imperial NHS Trust Arts Committee. In 2020, I co-founded Dust Architects, an online artists’ platform, and an artists’ peer group in 2016. Before art school, I worked in museums and galleries including tate and RA.
Publications
Drawing As Placemaking co-edited by Professor Jill Journeax and Dr Simon Woolham (Bloomsbury 2025)
La Yozone (July 2024)
Galaxies SF No 87 (July 2024)
Le Novelliste Nov 2023; Lines of Empathy by Giulia Ricci (Lines of Empathy Press 2023)
Breathe (Freud Museum 2018)
Madam and Eve by Liz Rideal and Kathleen Soriano, (Laurence King Publishing 2016)
& Model Gallery: five years (Leeds Beckett University 2018)
Pharmacopoeia Royal College of Physicians 2017
Transylvania Florilegium (2 volumes, Addison Pub.)
Highgrove Florilegium (2 volumes, Addison Pub.)
House Clearance Eleven Spitalfields Gallery London 2014
Botanical Paintings from Shirley Sherwood Collection (Ashmolean Museum Oxford 2008)
Press
- Le Novelliste, November 2023
- Contemporary Photography Magazine (79) Spring 2020
- Time Out 2017
- Dandelion postgraduate Journal and Research Network, Birkbeck University of London 2018
- BBC Radio London 2018
- Hardcopy 26, 2014
- Corridor 8, 2015
- The Guardian 2014
- The Guardian 2015
- The Memory Network 2014
- Thoughtcatalog. 2014
- Artslant 2014
- Design Week 2014