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
The inspiration behind Ryan Evan’s rich and symbolic oil painting ‘Message in a Bottle’ is the confusing yet inevitable intimate interaction between our ocean pollution versus the instinctive behaviour of a young octopus seeking shelter. The young cephalopod is seen trying to squeeze into, or maybe out of, a discarded plastic bottle in the depths of the sea.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Ryan Evans is a pet portrait and wildlife artist based in Cheshire. Ryan began his artistic journey from scratch in the final national lockdown almost 3 years ago, focusing entirely on using pastels. This is his first foray into using a new medium – oil paint. Ryan’s aim with his work is to focus on the interaction between wildlife and the many man-made pollutants they come into contact with.
Dylan Friedman was instantly drawn to the array of patterns across the iridescent scaly body of the Gippsland water dragon, finding the intricate shapes and subtle colour shifts in each individual scale especially intriguing. Dylan created this piece to invite people to appreciate the innate beauty of all of nature’s creations.
Dylan Friedman is a high school senior in the United States who has always had a passion for animals and art. He grew up surrounded by nature and sketched and observed wildlife in zoos and aquariums. Dylan has been inspired by wildlife artists he discovered as a young teenager and has worked over many years to develop his creative skills and challenge himself with new mediums and unique subjects. He hopes to be a fighting force for wildlife conservation and activism through art and to be able to see wildlife thriving all around the world in its natural habitat.
Rosanna Gaddoni’s delicate and sensitively rendered monochrome drawing was created as a metaphor about her family home, as sadly she can no longer return to it. Rosanna urges us to look at this pigeon; it is late and dark, the flock is lost, and the dovecote is ruined by the long winter. Rosanna feels the pigeon has built his home within, because home is then somewhere you can always come back to.
Rosanna Gaddoni (b. 1972) is an Italian artist based in the Netherlands. Her work is a celebration of life, portraying the purity of animals and human beings. Rosanna’s art has been internationally exhibited and awarded. She has won Best Drawing, Best Animal & Birds, Third Place Overall plus three Honourable Mentions in the PleinAir Salon, and multiple awards from the Portrait Society of America. An exhibitor at the RA summer exhibition 2022, Rosanna was also a finalist at Boldbrush, and at the 16th Renewal Center Salon. Her work is appreciated and collected worldwide.
Travelling up to 3,000 miles to hibernate in warmer climes, the Monarch butterfly migration is considered to be one of the greatest natural events on earth. In creating her Verre Eglomise piece (incorporating two layers of reverse painted and gilded glass) Danni captures the vibrant, striking beauty of these incredible butterflies, highlighting the fact they became endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2022.
Danni Bradford specialises in the endangered art of ‘Verre-Eglomise’, the gilding of glass. Each piece is hand inked and painted onto glass, then gilded in metal leaf such as 24kt gold, copper or silver. The scarcity of artists working in Verre-Eglomise has led to it being placed on the Heritage Craft Association’s ‘Red List’ of crafts that are likely to become lost art forms. By combining this rare art form with her own fine art practice, Danni has set a benchmark in the use of this art form with the creation of her innovative, distinctive, unique and contemporary pieces.
Sarah Lake has created the shoebill stork ‘Abou’ by carefully hand cutting her from 8 sheets of A3 hammered paper. Sarah chose her illustration of a shoebill stork as she loves how different and prehistoric they look.
Sarah Lake is a self taught paper artist living in Kent. With a love of wildlife, most of her work is based on that theme. Every piece starts off with a photograph which is normally taken by Sarah, which she will then separate into layers. The more layers there are the more detail there will be in the final artwork. Each layer is then cut by hand using a scalpel. Sarah’s aim with each piece of her work is that it is indistinguishable at a distance from a regular picture, and only when seen up close does the viewer discover individual layers of paper.
Carina Kramer’s sensitive oil painting of this very elusive mammal has the okapi in question melt into the shadow, perfectly visualizing its endangered status. In her painting, Carina utilises the deep darkness surrounding the okapi to leave the viewer no other option than to look right at it as it grasps onto its fading presence on earth.
Carina Kramer is a German oil and watercolour artist who focuses on African big cats and other wildlife. Her work combines realism with minimalistic aspects and has been exhibited in various countries all over the world, always aiming to support conservation. Her work has been selected as part of the DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year exhibition for 5 years, as well as being part of the ARC salon contest and the AFC festival. Behind the scenes Carina loves to spend time in nature especially the African bush where she has found her second (or first) home.
Lindy Cullen’s tonal painting shows the humour Lindy in found watching a trio of warthog piglets running around with their tail tufts upright so they didn’t lose each other in the grass. This amusing observation was the inspiration for her endearing watercolour.
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.
Hashim Akib’s rich and vibrant acrylic painting ‘Woodland Sunset’ is based on his photo of local woodlands as sunset approached. Hashim loved the light against the dark and the lines zig-zagging around the scene and was inspired to create this piece by depicting the warm and dark contrasting colours.
Working as an illustrator for over 15 years, Hashim’s client list varied from newspapers, magazines and design agencies. Hashim became more interested in developing his own paintings and started exhibiting, demonstrating and running workshops. He is now a represented artist and has won numerous awards and is the author of ‘Vibrant Acrylics’, ‘Painting Urban and Cityscapes’, Dorling Kindersley Artist’s Painting Techniques’ with a new acrylic book coming in 2024.
Penny Wools’ colourful painting portrays a hyena looking intently on as lions feast on the kill, waiting patiently, hoping for it’s turn to move in when they have had their fill.
Penny Wools graduated with a BA Hons in textile design and now works in a small studio in Hampshire, focusing on her painting. Her work reflects her long history with working in the textile industry, with each piece informed by her wider knowledge of the chemical constituency of the mediums she chooses to use, bringing a unique finish to each of her works. One of her main influences is David Shepherd, of whom she says, “nobody could paint the trodden weight of dust like David did”.
Max Denison-Pender recently spent three months in the heart of the Amazon jungle in Atalaia de Norte, Brazil. In his painting ‘Through the Jungle’, which was inspired by his stay, Max wanted to capture the beauty of the jungle but also it’s dreamy, terrifying undertones. Max found that the jungle was overwhelming in every sense, and although it was beautiful, it definitely wasn’t welcoming; an uncomfortable dream.
Max jumped straight into his art the moment he had the chance, leaving his formal education at 16 years old and studying at LARA art college. Since his first sell out show solo exhibition, ‘The Heart of London’ in Kensington in summer 2019, Max’s work has gone from strength to strength. From a Kensington pub exhibition to being picked up by Richard Green Gallery and now backed by renowned Niarchos art curator, Rupert Burgess and art dealer Anne Faggionato. Having sold his 1/1 NFT ‘ Take Me To The Moon’, he decided to travel to South America to seek new inspirations about the “more hidden” corners of the earth. He is now currently preparing for his exhibition ‘Through the Jungle’.
This endearing welded and formed sheet metal sculpture by Pascal Chesneau may appear charming but displays a stark warning as to the inevitable danger, poisoning and destruction ahead as the ring tailed lemurs of Madagascar sit playfully upon a steel drum displaying a warning sign that it contains ionising radiation.
Pascal Chesneau is a self-taught French artist who was born in 1967. Pascal uses a less geometric representation of metal art, focusing on transparency and lightness whilst conserving the form. He provides a wild power, and as much weight as fragility.
“Tigers captivate anybody fortunate to see one but hearing their roar stays with you forever, it rumbles through the ground and can shake you to your core”. This primal experience was the inspiration for Jess Pritchard’s powerful and detailed drawing. Jess feels that whilst these stunning animals may have an extremely powerful voice themselves, it is up to mankind to ensure it remains to be heard around the planet.
Jess Pritchard is a multi-award winning wildlife conservation artist who works solely in pencil. Since beginning her professional art career, she has taken part in many exhibitions including those held in London’s Mall Galleries and Oxo Tower and a solo exhibition at Worcester Cathedral. Jess is an artist ambassador for Derwent Art, Britain’s largest pencil brand and has also raised thousands of pounds for various wildlife charities through her supporters and collectors worldwide. She recently launched her own wildlife fund to support select conservation projects including Painted Dog Conservation through the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation.
‘Ingwe’ in the language of Ndebele means leopard, one of Africa’s most endangered big cats, well known for their unpredictable character. An inspiration over the years for many designs, patterns and even famous songs such as ‘Ingwe Emabalabala’, the noble leopard is also the inspiration for Tichaoanan Ncube’s powerful painting ‘Vigilance’. Tich feels that the leopard depicted is warning intruders to stay well away! This piece is created using Oil and Acrylic paints on a box canvas (unframed).
Born in1986, Tich Ncube is a full time Zimbabwean wildlife and portrait artist. Following high school Tich pursued art as a career and was mentored by Sanele Dhlomo and the late Jimmy James Nkomo. Tich has sold his artwork both locally and internationally and many of his paintings have been collected by both art collectors and enthusiastic local tourists. Inspired by nature and Victoria Falls’ rich, world-class natural beauty, Tich feels that art has a distinct and subtle way of speaking to the soul, and when created carefully it provides a platform to communicate conservation messages without a struggle.
Nathalie Daigles’s monochromatic painting demonstrates how this young elephant’s agile nose is sensitive, calling out for light to nourish growth. Beneath it’s great size there is a life, a heartbeat. This thought struck Nathalie as a bold truth and she feels it sheds some light on how closely we are related to these amazing animals.
Biology studies and scenic art emerged as Nathalie Daigle’s first interests, these two fields stemming from her deep love of nature and art. Creating has evolved into an expression of Nathalie’s inner connection to nature, in which she expresses life as our being our common core. With close-ups of elephant skins that tell stories about how tightly connected our life cycles are, she demonstrates her exceptional sensitivity. As a wildlife lover and environmental artist, Nathalie’s artwork clearly asserts that the need for connection with the wild is part of human nature. She feels that to encounter the wild has an impact on mankind, that impact being humility.
Zebras are known to choose a partner and to then spend their lives together. This was the inspiration for Capucine Minot’s striking and graphic monochrome drawing as she wanted to show this extraordinary, unbreakable relationship. Capucine acknowledges that a zebra’s stripes are supposed to distinguish them from one another, but here she shows them merging together, making one indissoluble bond.
Capucine Minot is a French artist who has lived in Cote D’Ivoire since 2017. In 2016, after 5 years working in luxury marketing, she decided to start over and dedicated her life to her art.
In his monochrome drawing Cole Stirling wonders, in an ever diminishing wild world, if there is still hope to live alongside nature or is time running out? Cole’s musing are illustrated by his juxtaposition of lions on the plains, as predators are amongst the first impacted by human encroachment, against the incongruous city backdrop. He poses the question, can we coexist or will civilisation overrun nature?
Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Cole Stirling’s passion for wildlife started at an early age. His earliest memories include early morning drives in his beloved Hwange National Park. Art came as a by-product and a way to express Cole’s passion. Studying photography at university, and later completing field and trails guide qualifications, allowed Cole to develop an even greater appreciation for the natural world and a desire to conserve it through his work. Drawn to monochrome imagery, especially the simplicity of focus on tone and form, this is a feature that Cole strives for in his work, and also something he finds to be quite handy as he is colour-blind!
Hazel McNab was looking for a scene locally that spoke to her as inspiration for Earth’s Wild Beauty. She wanted one that had all the elements of nature’s energy and strength, nothing human. Land meeting sea, wind and sun. Power and beauty. The result was her reduction linocut in 25 colours, ‘Winter Sun’.
The framed piece has now sold. One additional edition is available for sale (unframed £750).
Hazel McNab is a printmaker living in Cornwall, England. She is inspired by the ever changing nature of the landscapes around her. Hazel loves contrasts and textures and through her work hopes to make the viewer aware of the little things they might not have otherwise noticed.
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.
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.
In his striking drawing Martin Aveling observes that those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. Martin’s painting alerts us to the fact that mongoose fur is still being used to make high-end paintbrushes, as such making the art industry a major threat to their survival.
Martin Aveling has been a finalist in DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year competitions for the past 15 years, and in 2021 he was awarded the inaugural David Shepherd Art of Survival award. Martin coined the phrase ‘wildlife artivism’ in an effort to encourage stronger calls to action in the creative output of working wildlife artists. He is a partner artist at DSWF and sits on the judging panel for the WAY youth category. Last year Martin helped DSWF broker a partnership with Derwent Pencils, for whom he is a global ambassador, and Martin’s artwork features on Derwent’s pastel pencil tins, his favourite medium for over 25 years.
In her monochrome painting Sandra Vick makes reference to the distinctive shape of these birds and a popular Scottish poem. Sandra recalls how she watched these three birds visit her garden every day and attempt to free from it’s cage the large fat block she put out for them. It was Sandra’s aim in her painting to acknowledge what clever and characterful birds crows are, and to capture this in their shadows and silhouettes.
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.
Camila Echavarria’s painting ‘Barcode Amazon Rainforest’ depicts two guayacan trees and huge ceibas surrounded by native birds, growing upwards from a barcode. Inspired by the works of Garcia Marquez, Camila hopes to inspire appreciation of nature with a reminder to cherish the trees, birds and other forms of nature. This piece is an Acrylic painting on a box canvas (unframed).
Camila Echavarria is a Colombian artist who draws inspiration from her profound connection to the vibrant jungles and diverse ecosystems of her native country. With a background in product design engineering, Camila explores materials and perspectives that bring art to life. Her works reflect the rich flora and fauna of Colombia, with a focus on plants, birds, and their interplay. Through merging opposing concepts, Camila creates nature-rooted art characterised by simplified shapes, repetitive patterns and Fibonacci principles. Her compositions are primarily black and white, punctuated by bursts of the tropical colours that attract birds. Celebrating resilience, Camila’s art transcends boundaries, capturing the essence of the Tropic and its cultural heritage.
Depicting wildlife close to home and highlighting the precarious balance between agriculture and nature was Rachel Evans’ inspiration to create her original linocut print. Rachel’s monochrome print has been created through the lens of night vision, thus taking us into the owl’s natural world. There are three additional editions of this piece available (unframed, £75) which can be purchased by contacting way@davidshepherd.org or phoning 01483 272323.
Rachel Evans is an artist and printmaker who lives in Wales with her husband and son. Having worked in animal welfare for 20 years, Rachel’s art is inspired by her connection to nature and wildlife. She uses a range of media, but has a special interest in linocut printing. Currently Rachel works as a L&D Manager for the Samaritans, she also runs an art club for children and a women’s community art & craft group to support connection and wellbeing. Rachel has recently accepted an offer to study a MA in Art Psychotherapy at the University of South Wales starting in September 2023.
‘Release’ by Nathalie Daigle depicts a bright light on the elephant’s forehead to show the truth about these captive elephants. In her restrained sepia-toned palette Nathalie uses this patch of light to signify the elephant is alive and moving even though chained. The inspiration for Nathalie’s painting was the reintroduction in 2022 to the Canadian Senate of the Jane Goodall Act which, amongst others, sets out to establish new protections for captive exotic animals, and phase out elephant captivity in Canada.
Sherif Hakeem’s inspiration for his tender drawing was his relationship with his brother and Sherif feels his work draws a parallel in depicting that perfectly. The young lion seeks solace, comfort and protection from the older and more stoic lion, ever on watch for the threats an endangered species faces on a daily basis.
Sherif Hakeem is wildlife charcoal artist who specialises in hyper-realistic portraits of endangered wildlife. Sherif considers his sole purpose in creating photographic drawings of wildlife is to shed on light on the plight of vulnerable and endangered wildlife. Creating very meticulous and highly detailed artworks, Sherif allows the viewer to not just view a drawing, but to experience the environment and atmosphere conveyed within. Every detail of Sherif’s work is drawn with the intention of sparking discussion and highlighting the most vulnerable and beautiful species of the animal kingdom.
