Wildlife Artist of the Year
Welcome to our Finalists’ gallery for Wildlife Artist of the Year 2023. Our judges whittled over 1,400 pieces down to 157 for final exhibition, below are the shortlisted artworks and winners.
Please show your support for your favourite artist and artwork by voting in the DSWF People’s Choice Award below.
ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
Painted onto copper and gold leaf, Malaurie Auliac’s work shows the beetle flying onwards, ready to face a huge and dangerous world. Malaurie has chosen to represent this vastness and danger by broken pieces of leaves.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Malaurie Auliac’s work is a journey through the fauna that she paints in a naturalistic style. Her bestiary appears encrusted in the gold that covers the background to the majority or her paintings, so to venerate these often abused creatures. Her art is a subtle demonstration of ancient skills (Malaurie was initially a heritage restorer) applied to a contemporary creation which breathes life into her paintings. Malaurie sees her paintings as an invitation to contemplate the creature displayed and a chance to engage in a dialogue with them.
In Sarah Soward’s painting ‘Locked’ she recalls how, from opposite sides of the Kenyan savannah, these two kori bustards emerged as if by magic. Captivated, Sarah watched as they focused in on each other, gripped beaks, spinning and battling until one was finally determined the victor. This piece is an Oil painting on canvas (unframed).
Sarah Soward is a contemporary wildlife artist. One of her rhino paintings is scheduled to travel to the moon in 2024 as part of the Lunar Codex digital art capsule project. Sarah enjoys employing colour symbolism and story in her work.
In this chalk drawing on black paper which depicts a mother lioness carrying her precious cub, Mike Pickett’s aim is to demonstrate the unerring love and protection a mother lioness provides for her young cubs. Mike observes that lion populations are facing huge threats, and hopes this drawing will inspire lion conservation.
Mike Pickett is a self-taught artist with a passion for impact. His black and white themed art, with the occasional splash of colour, largely draws inspiration from the animal world to bring attention to the ever growing need to protect endangered species and their habitats from the threat of today’s society. Working in chalk, Mike’s attention to detail and use of light and shadow combines in a unique way to capture the essence and emotion of each animal, and portrays the vulnerability of their place in wildlife today.
With her pastel drawing Stella Mays wanted to blend the tiger into the wild Amur forest, rather than just create a portrait, and by doing so contrast the sparseness of the habitat with his mighty form. Stella felt that doing this would serve as a subtle reminder of the challenge a tiger faces maintaining prime condition in an ever disappearing territory.
Stella Mays is a self taught pastel artist. She has painted a wide range of subjects over the years and is increasingly motivated by a desire to create dynamic and original compositions which demonstrate a strong sense of colour. Stella’s fascination with the form and grace of her subjects is matched by a passion for the wild places they inhabit. She finds painting to be an escape from the congestion of the modern world but feels nature’s sanctuaries are today under threat. Communicating the wonder of these places and joining the fight to protect them are an integral part of Stella’s work.
Iryna Khort’s striking image shows the tufted titmouse soaring towards the viewer with fierce determination, as if summoning all its strength to shield us from the storm. When creating her painting Iryna felt that when shown against such a dramatic sky, the tufted titmouse represents the resilience we need to face life’s challenges, inspiring us to find our own path to safety and security.
Iryna Khort is a wildlife artist capturing the wonders of nature through vibrant oil paintings using the alla prima (‘at first attempt’) technique whereby wet paint is applied to wet paint, often producing work in one sitting. With over six years of dedication, her focus lies in portraying the natural world, drawing inspiration from birds, people, and the beauty of nature itself. Iryna’s art conveys the essence of freedom and boundless expression embodied by birds, reflecting a profound appreciation for life’s richness. Through her impressions, she brings delight to collectors and friends, fostering a deep appreciation for wildlife and motivating others to cherish and conserve our natural heritage.
This hyper realistic drawing by Rachael Porosa observes a lioness gazing over at the rest of the pride. As the cubs play with the male, she is keeping a watchful eye on proceedings. Rachael’s detailed piece demonstrates the naturally protective nature of the lioness.
Rachael Porosa is a portrait and wildlife artist based in South Devon. She discovered her talent for realism at aged 30 whilst working in forensic science, and subsequently left this career to pursue a life as a full time artist. Rachel strives to capture the tiniest of details in her work to faithfully express the reality of the subject. She believes realism in wildlife art helps to bring the viewer closer to the subject than they might ever get to be in real life.
Beverley closely watched the activities of Chacma baboons across Southern Africa and as a result she created this piece. This study of a baby and adult baboon shows wire at its most expressive, flowing between and uniting two forms. The sculpture demonstrates this closeness as a baby nonchalantly perches on its parent, who in turn accommodates the needs of them both.
Beverley has been wrangling wire into representations of wildlife for over 10 years. She lives in rural Kent amidst fruit orchards and vineyards. Beverley’s sculptures are created from a combination of upcycled and new wire of many different kinds. Each of her sculptures is unique and Beverley’s aim is to capture a fleeting pose, behaviour and character of her subject matter.
Robert Cook’s warm and detailed painting acknowledges the wonderful news that after over 600 years these majestic birds are once again nesting in the UK. Robert chose to paint this beautiful stork with backlight in order to bring out the subtle colours of it’s white feathers.
Careful observation, quality draughtsmanship and a strong sense of colour and design are key elements that come together in the creation of Robert Cook’s work which evokes atmosphere, depicts light and mood, and involves the viewer in a close encounter with his subject. Using traditional oil painting techniques, Robert builds up a detailed under-painting with transparent and opaque glazes that demonstrate the mastery of his chosen medium, and the understanding of his subject. His wildlife paintings have won him multiple awards as well as being successfully juried into the renowned ‘Birds in Art’ exhibition in America on several occasions.
Living in Africa allowed Capucine Minot to experience the strength and fragility of nature and wildlife all around her. In her monochrome drawing ‘Red Earth’, a viewpoint from space expresses the power of nature, with all it’s contrasts and extremes. Capucine feels that for local wildlife there are no boundaries, they live in a world only made of forest, mountains, rivers and waterfalls, as it should be.
Capucine Minot is a French artist who has lived in Cote D’Ivoire since 2017. In 2016, after five years working in luxury marketing, she decided to start over and dedicated her life to her art.
Clare Forgie’s aim in her mixed media piece ‘Burnt Out’ is to show the importance of the interconnectedness of the subject; the Sumatran orangutan and the rainforest. Clare feels the interconnectedness is symbolised by the way the paint flows between her subject matter; one cannot exist without the other.
Clare Forgie is a largely self-taught mixed media artist. Clare creates pictures of wildlife by splattering watercolour paint onto paper which she blows, allowing the paint to flow in whatever direction it chooses, taking on a life of its own. From this Clare then creates an image using coloured pencils. Clare tries to show through her paintings that in life we are all spiritually connected in some way.
Emma Price’s painting was inspired by heathland fires in Dorset. Commenting that haze is often associated with a state of mental confusion; fire, with destruction, Emma also observes that for millennia indigenous peoples used controlled burning to maintain and protect ecosystems, promoting biodiversity. It is her thought that we may need to reintroduce such practices, working with our natural world for survival.
A semi-abstract landscape painter working in oils, Emma Price’s paintings are influenced by her emotions and visual memories, primarily the natural landscapes within which she has lived and travelled. Her work depicts an abstraction, expressing an atmospheric ambience; much like viewing a literal landscape, Emma hopes her paintings reveal themselves more as the viewer allows themselves to become immersed within them.
Elsa Olander feels the conservation of wildlife is important for a number of reasons, including the survival of a balanced and abundant ecosystem. The cheetah was a healthy species but they have been starved as humans encroach on their forest habitat to make products such as paper. In this illustration Elsa shows how we, as humans, are destroying our wildlife and planet.
Elsa Olander is a Kenyan born African American artist in her artistic experimental stage who uses mixed media to create her artwork. Elsa is currently studying for her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Penny Stamps School of Art and Design in Michigan and creates art for enjoyment and fun – it’s her happy place. She does however realise that her strongest voice must be used to spread awareness for issues such as the negative effects of poaching, the water crisis and social inequality.
Steve Nayar’s primary concern is to highlight the numerous species that need our help. Typically, his engaging painting ‘Chimpanzee’, depicts the subject staring out at the viewer. Steve observes that along with bonobos, chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, sharing about 99% of our DNA. It is a great worry for Steve that these creatures are facing extinction as the innocent victims of hunting for bushmeat, habitat loss and degradation.
Steve Nayar is a painter living and working in Totnes, Devon. He originally trained to be an art teacher at Nottingham Trent University but after graduating forged an award-winning career in design and advertising. Steve always had a love of animals and became increasingly concerned about the growing loss of the planet’s biodiversity. So much so that Steve has focused his work on creating realistic paintings of endangered species in oils, specifically head and shoulders, gazing out at the viewer, sometimes imploring, sometimes challenging. His paintings are in private collections in the UK and overseas.
Leonard Calonaci’s almost monochrome painting shows a pod of killer whales, recognisable by their white patches, on a hunting trip. Highly intelligent predators, orcas are known to work together when hunting, collaborating to create waves that can knock prey off ice and into the water. A pod of orcas can take down dolphins and even some large whales.
The irrepressible urge to create art was born in Leonardo Calonaci two years ago. Since this awakening, Leonardo has experienced a great sense of emotion and personal achievement every time he creates a work of art. Currently working in acrylics to paint wild animals, Leonardo finds this gives him a great sense of freedom.
‘Symbiosis’ by Olivier Bertrand is a monumental sculpture made from cardboard, bio epoxy and aqua based resin. Depicting a young girl and a tiger dancing together, Olivier’s aim is to symbolize, at the time of the anthropocene, the hope of the future where humanity and the animal world can coexist in harmony.
Olivier Bertrand was born in Marseille, from a French father and a Chinese mother. He became fascinated with drawing, visual arts and more specifically origami at a very early age. Olivier has always been captivated by the metamorphosis of a simple sheet of paper which, with a few smart folds, comes to life and sparks emotion. After graduating with a Masters in Economics, he finally chose to move into web marketing. Olivier took advantage of a period of convalescence to go back to his roots and by assembling bits of cardboard together he now creates extraordinarily amazing life-size animal sculptures.
This monochrome drawing by Garth Swift sees elephants grazing lethargically in stifling heat. Puffs of wind bring gathering clouds to the vast sky above, and with them the promise of much needed rain to the thirsty palm forest on the savannah plains.
Growing up on a farm in Zimbabwe, Garth Swift was immersed in flora and fauna, and realised from an early age that he wanted to be an artist. After his schooling Garth studied fine art in South Africa, experimented with playing tennis, travelling the world before he finally settling into a life of creating wildlife art. Passionate about his subject, Garth wants very much to make a difference to in the public’s perception and understanding of wildlife and our planet’s delicate and fragile ecosystem.
Although not an endangered species in it’s own right, Steve Smith’s stark painting ‘Homeless’ depicts an Amazonian Tree Frog with it’s natural environment removed; a situation Steve feels we are frighteningly and inevitably to be heading towards.
Steve Smith (a.k.a. Smyth) is a self taught artist predominantly working in oil and pastel. Smyth is fascinated by the intricacies and beauty of wildlife and tries with his artworks to convey these aspects to the viewer by utilising painstaking detail.
Inspired by the social behaviour of Chacma baboons and the incredible bonds formed by their family units led Lindy Cullen to paint her tonal watercolour ‘Daily Rituals’. In her painting Lindy shows two baboons grooming each other, demonstrating the obvious closeness of their bond.
Lindy Cullen was born in Zimbabwe and has a passion for animals, particularly African wildlife. Her favourite medium is watercolour, in which Lindy endeavours to capture the humour and character (without doing a preliminary sketch) of the animal she is portraying. Lindy is an ardent advocate for the conservation of endangered species, and a need for mankind to protect and preserve.
Rendered in chalk on black paper, a very pensive and suspicious gorilla looks out of Mike Pickett’s powerful drawing. The gorilla appears to be pondering his future and wondering what lies ahead.
Polly Hosp’s stylised original print was inspired by the great migration. She observed, as the waters rose in the north and spread southwards, herds of plain’s game congregating and starting to move, staying ahead of the floodwater, searching for fresh grazing. Polly’s sensitive piece depicts how every year thousands of animals embark on a treacherous migration, with only the strongest surviving. In an edition of three, all with slight edition variants. Two unframed prints are available at £320. To purchase please contact us on way@davidshepherd.org or 01483 272323.
Polly Hosp’s practice is built on a deep connection with the fragile natural world and a passion for the environment. She captures unique wildlife moments with a focus on animal behaviour, movement and storytelling. Building on memories of the Kent countryside, plus over a decade living in the heart of the African bush, Polly’s aim is to engage the viewer in big conservation issues through simple joyful imagery. Drawing is at the heart of her practice, and printmaking is how Polly brings her artwork to life. She believes that line is integral, but the process is all about expression.
Sandra Vick observed kittiwakes building amazing nests, precariously balanced on the brick ledges of the walls of Dunbar Castle, Scotland. Sandra recognises that a combination of climate change and fishing methods means kittiwakes are being pushed closer than ever to extinction and she feels need to protect this vulnerable bird. It was her intention through her monochrome painting to draw attention to the plight of this native bird.
In her studio based near the Pentlands and Edinburgh, Sandra Vick is well known for her black and white paintings of birds. Using only silhouettes, Sandra works in layers to capture moments in time and to capture to the essence of her subject matter.
The inspiration for the drawing was a special moment Alex exchanged with this beautiful primate. Alex was in awe of the orangutan’s formidable strength, juxtaposed with its soft pensive gaze, which comes across in this sensitive monochrome drawing.
Alex Fleming creates realistic art because he enjoys the challenge of it, and finds it very fulfilling to succeed in doing a subject justice as it stands. Alex might alter the odd thing in an artistic rendition, but it is always subtle, and rare. The real, natural world is immensely interesting to him already, so he leaves imagined alternatives to those more appreciative of them. Nature covers a gamut of size, colour, personality and beauty which Alex feels should be worthy of anyone’s attention. It is also constantly changing, largely for the worse, so he choses to donate a portion of all of his wildlife sales to animal charities.
Recognising that the polar bear is becoming more vulnerable, Jessica Lennox wanted to capture in her drawing not only the beauty of a polar bear, but also the breathtaking landscape in which she resides. It is Jessica’s sincere hope that this drawing will encourage people to do all they can to protect this remarkable animal and her home before it’s too late.
Jessica Lennox is a wildlife artist based in British Colombia, Canada. She specialises in highly detailed coloured pencil drawings of her subjects and, more recently, the environment in which they reside. Jessica wants the viewer to be able to feel the fur and to read the thoughts when looking into her subject’s eyes.
Having an almost mosaic-like quality, this painting by Paul Burgess is a reflection on his connection to nature and how it is experienced closer through the senses rather than the mind. Paul’s inspiration was his feeling that a scene like this beautiful woodland has a sense of vibrancy and mystery that is both fascinating and reassuring, a present-moment experience being both palpable and immediate.
Paul Burgess is a contemporary landscape artist whose unique semi-abstract style has become hugely popular with art lovers and collectors worldwide. The main inspiration for his work comes from the Wye Valley and surrounding area where he has lived and worked for most of his life. There is also a deeply personal aspect to his paintings which explores his interest in how all things in the natural world are inextricably connected.
