Youth Exclusive

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Joey Kennedy’s dynamic composition in watercolour, coloured pencil and India ink demonstrates a insightful close-up of the life of a seagull as viewed through the lens of an eye.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Joey Kennedy is a young artist from Seattle, Washington USA where much of his time is spent outside watching and photographing birds. Joey works in many mediums including watercolour, textiles and pencils. Joey’s inspiration comes from observing the common birds around him, acknowledging and appreciating their behaviour.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Zoe Burr observes that with zebra populations declining, teamed with increasing urbanisation, her striking composition ‘Zebra Crossing’ may one day be the only memory of we have of zebras. A delicately rendered coloured pencil drawing on hot pressed watercolour paper, Zoe’s drawing is a play on the urban crossings named after the stunning zebra.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Zoe Burr is a coloured pencil artist based in Bristol, UK. She draws a wide range of animals in a modern, realistic style, aiming to capture the subject’s true form and personality.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Despite their ferocity and unpredictability, Cape buffalo always stick together in large herds as protection from predators. In this painting, George Davies depicts just a few members of a herd which can range from 50 to 500 in size, and has aimed to capture the evening light of East Africa whilst these buffalo grazed.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

George is a 19-year-old oil painter from Chester who has been an aspiring wildlife artist from a very young age. Having tried various mediums including watercolour, gouache and acrylic, George had finally settled on using oil paints by the age of 9. Drawn to animals and the places they inhabit, both at home in the UK and abroad, George uses his own reference photos as well as those of his friends for inspiration.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Imogen Christian originally photographed this peacock on a day out with her family. Passionate about nature and enjoying walking in the countryside, she finds this and drawing really helps with her anxiety. Imogen drew on rich gem-like colours to create ‘Precious Peacocks’ in pastel pencils.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Imogen Christian is a Liverpool based artist who is passionate about nature and walking in the countryside with her camera to capture shots of local wildlife to be used as reference for her artwork. Imogen’s inspiration is taken from the beautiful surroundings of the Sefton coastline, and also Lunt Meadows and Rimrose Valley Country Park. At 17, Imogen is at the beginning of her career and is studying A-level art, photography and music. Her dream is to become an established wildlife artist, with the advantage of her mum’s support who is also a Liverpool artist. Imogen enjoys working in pastel pencils.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

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.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

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.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

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.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

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.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Rhythm Ghai feels God has created an array of mesmerizing marine life and that it is the responsibility of mankind to conserve their natural habitat. Through her highly detailed and intricate drawing, Rhythm has aimed to create awareness and to help save these amazing sea creatures from becoming extinct.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Rhythm Ghai is a self taught artist from India. Rhythm works with a flair to create artworks which highlight the problems of global warming and animal extinction. She likes to work in black and white and in a variety of mediums. Taking part in a number of national and international exhibitions, Rhythm is keen to keep developing her creative skills. She believes that as an artist she is a teller of stories and that this is her creative journey.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

At Cape Kidnappers, New Zealand, Amandine Deschamps observed a colony of Australasian gannets. Amongst the crowd, a lost chick stood out, this relatable feeling being the inspiration for her entry. Portraying the life stages and different behaviours – greetings of paired gannets, feeding offspring, flying birds returning home – it is Amandine’s hope the viewers feel this overwhelming ambience.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Amandine Deschamps is a 17-year-old French high school student who is living in Dubai and studying under the IB diploma. Amandine frequently experiments in art, often combining mediums to enjoy a dynamic artistic process. Taking inspiration from the landscapes and wildlife seen on her family trips, Amandine uses scraps of newspapers to emulate the textures and present her image to the viewer.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Rita Wu demonstrates the opportunity someone gets from their first paycheck, represented by insects. Experimenting with symbolism, Rita includes a money (fruit) tree showing prosperity and wealth, a caterpillar representing growth and transformation and a crowned bee in a purple suit (the colour of royalty) reflecting the position of being a boss and having higher power.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Born in 2007, Rita is an avid enthusiast of the insect world. Her profound fascination with bees began at an early age and has since become a driving force behind her artistic creations, and she takes inspiration from the intricate beauty of these creatures, Rita combines her passion for insects with her drawing and painting skills to create captivating works of art. Employing subtle yet powerful symbolism, Rita often incorporates visual metaphors into her work to strengthen the message she wants to convey.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

In this piece Kaitlyn Stanton observes that despite being hunted nearly to extinction, buffalo have prevailed and continue to graze the plains of South Dakota. She considers her painting to be a case aganst the myth of ‘manifest destiny’ and an homage to the Badlands National Park.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Kaitlyn Stanton (b. 2004) is a Korean-American artist based in Providence, RI and the Washington metropolitan area. She is a second-year student at the Rhode Island School of Design, where she will complete her BFA in Illustration. Kaitlyn’s work primarily explores natural themes through digital painting, oil, and ballpoint pen. Her work has been displayed in group exhibitions at Carnegie Hall, NY (2022) and Brown University Hillel, RI (2023).

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION

Young Jang’s delicate rendition sets out to demonstrate that life for a small porcupine fish in the ocean is harder than one thinks. Her painting depicts the little fish’s defence reaction of showing its spines to anything that surprises it.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Young Jang is currently a student living in Pohang, a city in the southern part of South Korea. Though only a couple of years since Young discovered her passion for art, the passion is strong. Harbouring a dream to become an artist who can heal the hearts of others through her art, Young feels honoured to be a finalist in WAY 2023.

ARTWORK DESCRIPTION:

Jia Ying Khor’s drawing ‘Stolen Innocence’ portrays a baby elephant robbed of a wild upbringing, trained for circus and zoo performances and made garish with makeup. In stark contrast to the elephant’s innocent expression and natural beauty, this sensitive drawing evokes a sense of loss and betrayal, emphasising the importance of wildlife conservation and protecting animals’ rights.

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Jia Ying Khor was born in 2003 and raised in Malaysia, eventually going on to pursue a major in arts at the Edinburgh College of Art. Her artworks primarily focus on wildlife, specialising in the realistic style. She likes to delve into legends and literature, seeking meaningful connections from these realms into her creations. Her artworks have been exhibited and featured in publications including The Artist Magazine. Through her ongoing artistic journey, she aims to challenge conventional norms and provoke meaningful conversations.