People’s Choice Award winner 2020 announced Wildlife Art July 2, 2020 You voted, we counted and we’re delighted to announce that ‘Paradise Flycatcher‘ by Rajasthan-based artist, Madhavi Rathore, has been voted as the 2020 Wildlife Artist of the Year ’People’s Choice’. Madhavi’s elegant artwork received 543 votes out of 6,741 votes across all 159 featured artworks, winning her a £500 GreatArt voucher. In second place was ‘A Wasp with a Thousand Faces’ by Violet von Riot with 392 votes and third place goes to Kate Tume for her artwork, ‘A Benediction from the Old World’ with 337 votes. All voters were automatically entered into a free prize draw for the chance to win a pair of Patrick Mavros cufflinks and a beautiful scarf donated by DSWF Partner Artist, Mia Kora. A lucky winner has been randomly selected and contacted by email. ‘Paradise Flycatcher’‘A Wasp with a Thousand Faces’‘A Benediction from the Old World’ Madhavi Rathore the People’s Choice Award winner This is Madhavi Rathore’s second time entering Wildlife Artist of the Year after she was made aware of the competition by a friend. Rathore is also a massive David Shepherd fan, as David used to visit Ranthambore National Park with her uncle when she was a child. She subsequently found a signed David Shepherd coffee table book and fell in love with his artworks. “His paintings are realistic and expressive without looking like photographs. When I paint I try to keep the essence of a painting while not taking away the fundamentals of the animal.”says Madhavi Madhavi studied at J.J. School of Arts. “I got my first commission from a hotel in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. They asked me to paint four big cat artworks of a tiger, lion, cheetah and a leopard. Ever since then I have been hooked on wildlife paintings.”says Madhavi Madhavi loves painting leopards which are native to her region. She also enjoys painting birds. The paradise flycatcher is a songbird that occurs across Africa and Asia. Madhavi spotted the beautiful flycatcher featured in her winning artwork when the bright colours in its wings caught her eye. “I loved its ribbon-like tail which when painted on white, can almost blend in with the background showing shades of grey. It gives you a chance to play with the negative space.”says Madhavi Tips for artists competing for the People’s Choice Award Madhavi shared the link to her artwork across her social media channels regularly. She also attributes word of mouth and asking all her family and friends to vote, to her success. “I routinely created Instagram stories every couple of days to make sure all of my followers got to see my artwork at least once.”says Madhavi Social media algorithms and people’s busy lives means not all your followers see your social media content when you post, this is why it is important to post regularly at strategic times. “At the end of the day, the voting was completely out of my control. Honestly, I didn’t know if they would vote for my artwork but I hugely appreciate it,” says Madhavi ‘Hope’‘Killer Fashion’‘Harsh to us is home to them’‘Tansy Beetle’ Other popular artworks in the exhibition were ‘Hope’, ‘Killer Fashion’, ‘Harsh to us is Home to them’ and ‘Tansy Beetle’, winner of the Elizabeth Hosking Prize for Watercolour. Wildlife Artist of the Year 2020 wrap up Thank you for your incredible support and dedication over the last month. Wildlife Artist of the Year 2020, DSWF’s first online exhibition, is now closed. We would also like to extend our gratitude to our generous sponsors and all contributing artists. Wildlife Artist of the Year would not be possible without your ongoing support. Wildlife Artist of the Year 2020 has continued to raise vital funds for endangered wildlife across Africa and Asia. Entries for Wildlife Artist of the Year 2021 will open on Wednesday 23 September 2020. Find out how and why you should enter here. Link copied
