Cole Stirling – ‘Showdown’ Original

Medium: Framed Original Charcoal on Fine Art Paper

Dimensions: 84 x 59cm

Sincere thanks to Cole for sharing his talent and donating 50% of the sale to the Foundation.

Born and raised in Zimbabwe,  Cole’s  passion for the wilds of Africa started at an early age. Some of his earliest memories include waking up for early morning drives in Hwange National Park or sitting for hours at one of the numerous waterholes, to see what came to drink. Cole was in his element.   Art came as a by-product of this love for nature and a way to express this passion. From childhood, Cole  was sketching my favourite animals, trying to replicate pictures from the numerous field guides he had started to collect. At Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa, this hobby was then honed, when he completed a Fine Art degree. Although Cole focused on photography, he never gave up drawing and sketching. His photography helped inform his drawing and conceptualise his pieces.  ​Whilst living and working in London, he has  continued to work on his drawing and photography, taking every opportunity he can to get out in the field. Completing field and trails guide qualifications in South Africa in 2015, gave him an even greater appreciation for the natural world, which he now tries to incorporate into his work.  ​Cole has  always been drawn to the nostalgia of monochrome imagery, especially in photography.  Although being colour-blind, this also comes in quite handy! That said, the simplicity that this approach allows is something Cole has always found appealing and is a feature he strives for in his works.