The winners of the 2023 Wildlife Artist of the Year have now been announced. Enter our winners gallery, or scroll down to view all finalist artworks, and People’s Choice winners.
ARTWORK DESCRIPTION
Anisha’s watercolour painting aims to record the glorious lives of wild tigers as they would look in man’s faded and distant memory. Anisha prays that a time when wild tigers no longer exist will never come.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Anisha Heble celebrates the natural world through her art. She endeavours to capture the infinite beauty and energy of wildlife that is so fragile in today’s world. Anisha loves the fluidity and spontaneity of watercolou, along with the mastery required to control this medium to capture the undefined beauty of nature. After spending over 20 years in advertising and design, Anisha now dedicates herself entirely to her passions of wildlife and painting, and donates part of her earnings through art towards conservation and animal care. Anisha lives and works in Dubai.
A hunter, a mother, and a fearless protector. The lioness prowls, stealthy and graceful, amidst the shadows toward her prey. This was the inspiration for Gale More O’Ferrall’s sensitively rendered painting. Gale recalls that, as a Zimbabwean, she has spent time in close proximity with these wildcats and on becoming a mother herself grew a deep admiration for the maternal behaviour of the lioness.
Gale More-O’Ferrall is a full time professional representational artist who works mainly in oils and acrylics. Growing up in Zimbabwe, Gale went on to study fine arts at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. Gale’s work is eclectically rich in subject matter and reflects her sincere appreciation of the people and places that have formed her life’s journey so far. She has been teaching internationally for 25 years and in 2011 moved to Vancouver where she has made her mark on the north American art scene.
In Katy Rundle’s colourful and creatively detailed mixed media piece ‘Essential Worker’, a white backed African vulture looks to the sky for his kettle. Katy was inspired by these magnificent birds whilst living in Kenya, although her reference photo was taken at the Hawk Conservancy in Andover, UK. Katy’s aim through her artwork is to highlight the critical importance and beauty of the African vulture.
Katy Rundle is a British contemporary textile artist. Her business was founded in 2017 and she creates her pieces from a studio in Hampshire, UK. Katy is best known for her vibrant embroidered textile collages. An exhibitor at Talos Art Galley and at art fairs, Katy is in demand as a creator of bespoke, original commissions and her work is collected on both sides of the Atlantic. Shortlisted for the Women United Art Prize in 2022, Katy was also selected to compete in Sky Arts ‘Landscape Artist of the Year’ in 2018.
Lieze Meyer observes that we tend to be more aware of the big mammals that are facing extinction. With this oil painting on canvas Lieze wanted to highlight a lesser recognised member on the Critically Endangered List, the White Headed Vulture. Her dramatic composition contrasts the small vulture against the larger non-endangered marabou stork as the vulture fights for it’s rights, and Lieze hopes her painting will help to highlight it’s endangered status.
Lieze Meyer has a BA graphic design degree but has pursued painting in oils for the past 15 years. Lieze aims to capture a fleeting moment whilst telling a story through her art. Shape, movement and mood are all elements which drive her to create from her studio in the wilderness in Zambia where she currently lives. By creating these wildlife images, she strives to make her audience aware of the beauty hidden within the more unknown and not so often painted creatures of this planet.
The synergy of cultural and environmental narratives inspired Nickolaas Willems to create this large artwork. It represents the resilience and endurance of a Jewish family that found refuge within this tree during WW2. Nickolaas uses wood and fire (representing life and destruction) to burn and scrape his art pieces, using wooden panels as his canvas; heat and sandpaper as a brush of paint. This is part of a 20-tree series project, highlighting trees worldwide with their unique story and relevance.
Nickolaas Willems (1989) is a double educated Dutch artist. Working in a unique manner, within the representational field, Nickolaas uses the primitive medium of wood and fire to burn and scrape his art pieces into reality. A technique in which large wooden panels serve as his canvas, he utilises heat and sandpaper as paint. This time-intensive process requires extraordinary patience and focus by working with the natural lines of each wooden panel to create pieces that preserve the natural beauty of the material. Willems’ work explores themes of transience and time, reminding us of the impermanence of life while honouring the enduring beauty of the environment.
Nathalie Daigle observes that skin is a sense organ, and as such is both a separator and a connector between self and others. In her abstract painting ‘Openness’, Nathalie depicts the elephant skin stretched out in a limitless sky, feeling this stands as an ‘openness’ to awaken our senses to life on earth and its interconnectedness.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
Humans have long destroyed the homes of orangutans for their gain. In Ophelia Redpath’s oil painting we see an orangutan, faced with a chainsaw and leaving it well alone. Ophelia illustrates that never in a million years would the thought occur to an orangutan to topple a forest and its inhabitants.
Ophelia Redpath has followed a career as a painter since 1986. The subject and style of her work has evolved from abstract, experimental beginnings, to mixed media celebrations of humanity, now focusing entirely on questioning the broken links between human civilisation and the natural world. Ophelia’s current oil paintings express a mix of grief, optimism and humour, with an attempt to visualise how these links can be recognised and reinvigorated. Her book ‘The Lemur’s Tale’ was nominated for the 2014 Kate Greenaway Medal, and Ophelia won Sky Arts Landscape Artist of the Year in 2021.
This creative sculpture by Camila Echavarria depicts a guayacan tree and huge ceibas surrounded by native birds. From whichever side the piece is viewed there are barcodes to be seen that transform into forest. Inspired by the works of Garcia Marquez, Camilla hopes to inspire appreciation of nature with a reminder to cherish the trees, birds and nature.
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.
Tamara Pokorny recalls how getting close to a ghost crab takes patience (and indeed sometimes a wet belly). However, her patience and sogginess paid off and she loves the way the evening sun made this little ghost crab’s shadow larger than life. Tamara considers her scratchboard and ink rendering to be an analogy reminding her about how small things can loom large, for both good or ill.
From iconic species to lesser known or even disliked ones, scratchboard artist Tamara Pokorny depicts animals in extraordinary detail, showcasing the beauty of the creatures that share the world with mankind. Tamara is inspired by the intricacies of a subject you can only see when looking closely, the way the sum of all the small things amount to, and shapes, the whole. Tamara observes that as we often don’t take time to look at detail, she invites the viewer to look a little closer and immerse themselves in a moment in time.
‘The Journey’ by Karen Laurence-Rowe, is a tribute to the dead and dying giraffe suffering the terrible drought in North Kenya. Whilst Karen’s painting, with its striking verdigris palette, looks to be abstract, on closer inspection there are various references to giraffe. Through this painting Karen sadly observes climate change is causing terrible suffering – and that wildlife will be the first to die.
A past winner of Wildlife Artist of the Year, Karen Laurence-Rowe has, for many years, used her art to raise funds for conservation, raising over £100,000 for conservation projects close to her heart throughout her career. Karen is a self-taught artist, mainly working in oil and watercolour to develop her unique style which has become much sought after by her art collectors. Karen has lived in Africa all her life and has watched her subjects dwindle exponentially as the human population grows. “It is a race against time to save the endangered species of the world but the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation is a good place to start!”
We are delighted to launch the 2023 online gallery, displaying all of the artwork that qualified for this year’s final. We invite you to peruse the finalist artworks, which are displayed below.
In high altitudes and high latitudes, the first indication of spring is often a change in the quality of light. In her limited edition, original print ‘Equinox’, Sarah Drummond was inspired, as a circumpolar alpine species, by the Willow Ptarmigan, finding them to be a perfect and poignant subject for that moment when the balance begins to shift toward light and summer. This original print is produced in an edition of 12 and there are additional editions available for sale (£1,300 unframed). Please contact [email protected] or 01483 272323 for details.
Sarah Drummond is a Colorado artist enthralled by the natural world that surrounds her. Working mainly from life, in the field, she paints (often through binoculars), before returning to her studio to translate these images into linocuts. Sarah spends her summers in south east Alaska as a wilderness guide, and her winters with her family in south western Colorado, USA.
Georgia Lancaster’s colourful and delicate painting depicts all 62 UK butterfly species, with each one shown to scale. In the painting Georgia has shown abstract butterflies -line drawings with the colours fading into the background – to represent the species that are currently threatened or endangered, along with those painted in gold representing those species already extinct. Georgia observes that if things don’t change very soon, all these beautiful species will disappear and be gone forever.
Georgia Lancaster is a 23 year old self-taught artist working from her home studio in the Yorkshire countryside. Georgia has been creating art since childhood and has been passionate about animals and the environment from an early age. Georgia gets her inspiration from spending time outdoors surrounded by nature and her aim is to create paintings that portray the unique beauty of different animals and highlights environmental issues. Working with acrylic paint and mixed media, and including aspects of abstract and realism in her art, Georgia brings all this together to create a beautiful, cohesive result.
Paul Eaton’s sculpture is inspired by his fascination with flight. Paul finds watching murmurations to be one of nature’s finest displays, the swooping and swirling of the numerous birds flying together to create the shape-shifting clouds to be mesmerising. He also observes that such large gatherings of smaller birds often attract raptors to take advantage of this fact. This is what Paul aimed to capture in his sculpture, the raptor being highlighted glistening above.
Paul Eaton is a goldsmith and silversmith by trade who also has a lifelong interest in wildlife. Paul’s sculptures reflect this interest, whilst showcasing the detail he uses when making jewellery. Birds of prey have always be a speciality of his, their flight in particular. Paul’s use of bronze and silver contrasts and reflects the different elements of his work. Constantly inspired by the natural world around him, Paul continues to find subjects he can portray in his work.
It was the innocence and expression shown in this Amur leopard cub that inspired Conor Smith create his highly detailed scratchboard piece ‘Big Yawn’. Conor felt that the expression of fatigue on the cub’s face was appropriate in showing the tiredness this cat will feel in the fight to live its life.
Conor Smith is a UK based artist who specialises in the medium of scratchboard. He uses sharp tools such as craft knives and tattoo needles to scratch away the top layer of indian ink, revealing the white clay board beneath. He strives to create interesting and photorealistic pieces that have strong contrast and dramatic lighting. Conor is a part-time artist, spending the majority of his time working as a paramedic for the NHS and studying for his Masters Degree in Advanced Clinical Practice.
Sarah Meikle has loved the vulnerable pangolin since she bought one in 2008, saving it from the cooking pot and releasing it along a wild stretch of river while she was enroute in a canoe to her northern DRC plantation destination. It is Sarah’s sincere hope that safe refuges can be created for the endangered pangolin in truly wild but protected parts of Africa.
Sarah Meikle is passionate about conservation, photography and painting and has managed to combine them into her life choices. Growing up on the family farm in the picturesque Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe, and following a Fine Art degree in South Africa, she returned to her home area and to farming. Following the land invasions Sarah moved to the DRC to develop rubber plantations in the wilds of central and northern Congo. Sarah has now settled as a director of an integrated wildlife and cattle ranch www.gamamwe.com in Zambia which has allowed her more time to focus on conservation, painting and photography.
Katerina Sonntagova is inspired by the deep blue world of False Bay, South Africa and recalls how, as a freediver, meeting whales underwater was an incredible privilege. This experience inspired Katerina to create her tonal blue watercolour painting ‘Hope’. The encounters Katerina has experienced whilst freediving fills her with hope that mankind are capable of treating this beautiful world with nothing but love and kindness.
Growing up in the Jeseniky Mountains of the north-east Czech Republic, an entire country stood between Katerina Sonntagova and the nearest ocean shore. From this distance, the sea was something murky and abstract – something to be feared. In 2018, a few years after moving to South Africa, Katerina finally gave in to her desire for full ocean immersion. Her first snorkel literally took her breath away. Katerina hopes her art will inspire others to step into the thrilling unknown and transform fear into love and positive action to help protect the ocean and its inhabitants, something that all of mankind depend upon.
Elizabeth Faul’s mixed media collage represents the plastic, paper and other detritus which humans thoughtlessly scatter everywhere, forever impacting formerly pristine environments. As wild things have to adapt to rapidly degrading landscapes and disappearing living spaces, it is Elizabeth’s desire to provoke thought and dialogue about how humans could behave to reduce their impact on animals.
Elizabeth Faul has been a lettering artist for 35 years and a visual artist for 22 years. She trained formally as a professional calligrapher in the UK, and went on to complete a Bachelor of Graphic Design at the University of Canberra. Elizabeth won the CCAS Members’ Exhibition in 2016, the NOW Shoalhaven Contemporary Prize in 2013.
This painting of a solitary iceberg floating serenely in a mirror-still sea at twilight evokes for the artist, Nick Jones, something of the sublime beauty of the Arctic. However Nick observes that ‘Solitary Berg at Twilight’ also carries for him a sense of unease at the rapidly increasing impacts of man-made climate change on the polar regions.
Nicholas Jones is a UK based painter whose work explores our relationship with the natural world. Nick’s paintings address themes of connection, vulnerability, intimacy, trust, longing, wonder and silence. His paintings are rooted in a deep desire to be more present to the endless encounters, both intimate and sublime, that come towards us when we step outdoors with hearts and eyes that are wide open. His iceberg paintings offer a haunting glimpse of the fragility and magnificence of the Arctic, a region of our world under immense stress because of global heating, and on whose wellbeing we all depend.
ARTWORK DESCRIPTION: Catherine Ingleby’s oil painting is a large study of part of a pride of lions as they bask in the evening light of the Masai Mara. Catherine wanted, through the warmth and glow of her painting, to convey that feeling of relaxation within the family dynamic that is so unique to a group of lions.
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY: Catherine Ingleby spent several years training as an artist in Paris and Florence, accumulating a solid basis of draughtsmanship on which to base her now instantly recognisable style of dramatic light and movement. Catherine now works full time in her studio in Berkshire, with a plethora of pets that both aid and abet her. She is known for her contemporary take on traditional subjects, and her ability to capture the fleeting sense of movement in her work.
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.
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.
Jess Pritchard’s inspiration for ‘Ghost’ came from earth’s vast and spectacular landscapes, especially that of the Himalayan region where the elusive snow leopard resides. Roaming the wilderness, the snow leopard is spotted only by a lucky few, mostly in winter when their prey is forced down the mountainside. When summer comes, like a ghost, they disappear back to the peaks.
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.
When we see a baby animal or species like an adorable koala, the insinct of mankind is immediately captivated by its sweetness and vulnerability. This is what Geraldine Simmons aspired to highlight in her sensitive drawing ‘Avalon Was Home’. Geraldine feels that vulnerability is something that every sentient being is born with and it provokes our instinct to protect them.
Artists For Conservation signature member Geraldine Simmons lives and works from her home studio at Collaroy in Sydney, Australia. During her travels to the deep jungles of Borneo, the eyes of the orangutans and exquisite beauty of Indonesian wildlife captivated her. That life-changing experience in 2005 inspired Geraldine to raise funds and awareness for endangered wildlife. Spanning over thirty-three years, Geraldine has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Her notable exhibitions include the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, the virtual Artists for Conservation Annual Exhibit and Festival Canada, Sketch for Survival Art Auction London, and ENDANGERED Art4Apes Florida.
David Skidmore recalls it has been many years since he had an encounter with the magical sea turtle, yet it is a memory that never leaves him. His sensitively rendered monochrome drawing was inspired by David’s thinking that, at a time when our world seems anything but calm, the thought of these gentle giants floating through the sea gives him peace. It is David’s hope that his drawing has the same effect on others.
An award winning artist, David Skidmore works mainly in pencil but enjoys experimenting with most mediums. Painting and drawing is what inspires him, David hopes his work will in turn inspire others. He aims to produce work that is informative and at times thought provoking. David is a regular artist in residence at Nature in Art, Gloucestershire.
Colin Welden’s delicate watercolour is part of his series of studies of meerkats and how they present themselves to the viewer. After much watching, Colin has observed that whether it be upright or seated a meerkat is always alert and aware of its surroundings.
After a career of some 55 years in the graphics industry, Colin reverted to his art school training and began to paint again, with most of his work now being in watercolour. Colin has found painting to be a respite from life, and it gives him great comfort and pleasure to create a watercolour that others seem to enjoy.
This fun and striking sculpture by Bastien Bonhomme, depicts three gibbons, one behind the other in typical gibbon poses, on the run following the theft of important loot. Edition of 5 (one available).
Born in 1990, Bastien Bonhomme is a graduate of engineering school. In 2018, driven by an irrepressible need to indulge in a manual activity, he turned to sculpture. His technique and meticulousness are a prelude to his need for creation. Bastien likes working with textures, to create movement. Very close to human expressions, his subjects expressions surprise us and call us deeply to mind. Somewhere between strength and delicacy, depth and candour, his sculptures move us and speak for themselves.
Jack Haslam’s appealing original monochrome print observes the behaviour of a maternal anteater. Jack’s clean, stylised line portrays a female anteater, having given birth to one offspring, going about her day with baby riding on her back for the first months of its life. Curiosity, however, leads it to occasionally venture off…
This original print is produced in an edition of three and two additional prints are available for sale (unframed £180) which can be purchased by contacting us at [email protected] or 01483 272323.
Born in Central London in 1990, Jack Haslam trained in printmaking at City Lit. Jack’s love of animals is a major influence in Jack’s life and a driving force for his work: “what others might consider minor and unimportant details are the things that inspire me. I am fascinated by the minutiae of different animals: the gorilla’s cheeks and the anteater’s claws. My cognitive problems mean that I have difficulty relating to humans. I find them unfathomable at times. Animals help me manage my feelings of isolation and allow me to build bridges with people.”
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.
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.
Being sensitive to their environment, Justin observes that birds are a good indicator of the health of a particular ecosystem. In his paintings, Justin combines aggressive, abstract brushstrokes and textures with realistically rendered birds to create spaces that give the impression of erosion, change and isolation, whilst at the same time informing the viewer about their environmental fragility. Here Justin depicts a red breasted nuthatch peeking out in search of the pines.
Justin Kellner’s love of the outdoors led him to birding. He is fascinated by the process of spotting and identifying birds and by the complex ways they relate to their ecosystems. His abstraction draws on memories from his birding excursions as well as from the landscape of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula where he grew up. Justin lives in Grand Rapids where he paints full time. He hopes sharing his experiences in nature will encourage others to explore.
Rénald Pierre’s sculpture ‘Orang Outan (Pongo Pygmaeus)’ was originally made made in terracotta and this is it’s bronze reproduction. Depicting the head of an Orang Outan emerging from an abstract base which forms the stand, this piece has a gentle but strong presence.
Rénald Pierre began his career working as a stonemason. At the same time as he was learning stone carving, Rénald was also developing his skills in sculpture and modelling clay. Following a degree in art history, Rénald decided to devote himself exclusively to sculpture, and studied its different techniques in greater depth. His works are most often inspired by the animal world. His work has featured in numerous galleries and museums such as Absolute Art Gallery, Brugge.
Olivia Fregoso’s gentle and delicate monchrome watercolour painting shows the close relationship between a whale and it’s calf. It was Olivia’s hope that her painting would convey the feeling of greatness of being a mother full of both tenderness and power.
Olivia Fregoso was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. An animal lover since she was little, her interest in taking care of them and learning from them has not stopped growing. Olivia loves to express herself through painting and illustration techniques, some of her favourites being watercolour, oil and pointillism. Skilled in graphic and editorial design, Olivia has illustrated books in the United States and Mexico. She believes that it is important to teach children respect for animals and to care for them and the environment.
‘Lifetime Partnership’ depicts a male (L) and female (R) Bateleur Eagle pair on the Kruger savannah. David feels his painting is aptly titled as Bateleurs mate for life. His painting provides a visual interpretation of the dominance that the female has over her mate, depicting a disciplinary conversation between the two partners.
David was in born in 1977 and brought up in Bristol, UK, where he currently lives with his wife and two children, working as a Building Services Manager for a large main contractor in the UK. In his spare time David is a very keen bird artist, which originally stemmed from his interest in ornithology and nature from when he was a young boy. He has, when the opportunity has arisen, travelled to some very remote locations, usually with his father, to photograph wildlife and birds and in particular he has a passion for raptors and owls, which he loves to paint.
Wildlife Artist of the Year
The DSWF’s People’s Choice Award received a record breaking 6,577 votes this year. After collating all the votes DSWF are delighted to share the top ten voted for artworks. We are delighted to announce the overall winner of People’s Choice Award goes to Amazonic Barcode Rainforest by Camila Echavarria.
In her painting ‘Love. Light. Wren.’ Priya Gore pays tribute to the abstract quality of change and the abstract illusion of the passage of time. She feels that the wrens speak of changes of season and the acceptance of changes in life with an open heart and open arms. The purple capped wren is one of the most illusive North Australian bird species.
Priya Gore observes how the Australian rainforests offer the abundance of natural wonder and how bush walks and coastal hikes replace the emptiness of the soul with a long-lasting creative energy. Priya’s life revolves around the exploration of nature’s intricacies that are often hidden in the obvious. Being in nature amongst the beautiful birds, animals and trees of the rainforest and the ocean has had a profound effect on the artist’s mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. Priya tries to convey her deep love and passion towards nature through her practice of painting which she believes is impossible to express in any other form.
‘Likwena’, a highly detailed drawing by James Hitchen, offers the viewer a late afternoon glimpse of a Nile crocodile submerging itself into dark waters during the summer rainfall season. James’ intention was to capture this species in monochromatic shades to provide sharp detail, at the same time awakening the response to a predator in the artist’s home river, the Zambezi.
James Hitchins is a self-taught artist born in Zimbabwe and raised in Zambia. As a wildlife conservationist with Victoria Falls and the Zambezi river on his doorstep, James’ inspiration comes from the quiet moments in the African outdoors. Using either graphite or white chalk to create monchromatic images, James demonstrates his great love for wildlife.
In his insightful painting Andy observes that with age comes the wisdom that hopefully helps us make more sense of the world around us. Andy feels that perhaps things that seemed important in our younger years are now issues that cause us little concern or worry. It is his sincere hope that we can all one day live in harmony.
Andy Caddick is a self taught realism artist who specialises in the portrayal of some the world’s most beautiful animals. He is also one of very few UK artists who specialise in airbrush photo-realism. Working from his studio at home in the West Midlands, Andy has achieved success across mainstream galleries in the UK.
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.
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.
‘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.
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).
