Our Bearded Friends, Cookie and Willow

David Shepherd CBE was a founding father of the wildlife art movement whose work has become synonymous with Africa, wildlife and conservation. Known as ‘The Man who Loved Giants’ for his iconic elephant artwork, for decades his paintings have graced the walls of homes, libraries, exhibitions and public spaces and excite a passion in the viewer much like the emotion he felt during the creation of his work.

David was best loved for his archetypal African scenes portraying dusty waterholes teaming with life, capturing the heat and haze of an African landscape, all of which bring to life the sounds, smells and textures of a continent he called his second home. Beyond wildlife art, David had a prolific painting career which focused on many other topics and subjects. With an equal passion and love for military subjects, steam trains, landscapes and lesser seen portraits, his numerous originals and prints are held by collectors around the world.