Join us in celebrating DSWF’s 40th anniversary with the Mandy Shepherd’s: Dynasties. This special series reflects the strong family ethos that underpins our foundation, showcasing stunning sketches of wildlife in their natural family units.
ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
Clare’s favourite part of a composition to draw are the eyes as she feels they can tell such a story and really engage the viewer. Clare really loved capturing this leopard’s defiant, challenging stare which seems to follow the viewer once they lock eyes. In her hyper-realistic drawing Clare also experimented with different textures in order to bring the beautiful leopard to life.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Clare Parkes is a wildlife and pet portrait artist based in Hertfordshire, England who works predominantly in pastels. Graduating in 2008 with a degree in Fine Art, Clare went on to work at Madame Tussauds as a wax figure painter, and it was whilst working there that she discovered a love of realism and detail. Clare has always had a passion for wildlife and art and loves being able to capture the little individual quirks and personality of each animal, drawing the viewer’s eye in to characteristics which might sometimes be overlooked.
Running until DSWF’s Wildlife Ball on November 15th, we will release four new works each week on a first come first serve basis, with each original artwork beautifully capturing the essence of their subject’s bonds.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to witness Mandy’s artistry as it brings the heart of the wild to life, honoring both her father’s legacy and our commitment to conservation over the past four decades.
Each work will be sold online for £300, with the last piece in the series being auctioned off at our legendary Wildlife Ball. The works will be released on Tuesday to Friday every week until the 15th of November.
Shop all wildlife artwork while supporting DSWF’s conservation projects
Artivism
Art is a powerful medium. It can move people to action, awaken the imagination, and change perceptions. We, and many others, call this ‘artivism’ – a global movement embraced by artists to drive impactful change in the world around us. Through artivism, we can forge a personal connection with iconic animal species we may never have seen in real life or understand the threats to biodiversity and the climate a little better. We can learn of the plight facing our wild world and be challenged to do something about it.
With this in mind, and remaining true to our artistic heritage, Artist of the Month is the latest addition to several ‘Art of Survival’ programmes pioneered by DSWF, including our annual Wildlife Artist of the Year competition, Global Canvas – Children’s Art Competition and Sketch for Wildlife.
Artist of the Month adds individual and personal interpretations of our ‘Art of Survival’ vision and gives wildlife artists a platform to raise awareness for not only their exceptional artworks but their endangered animal muses.