I am passionate about my work as a wildlife artist and am dedicated to trying to find ways of showing the wonder of animals living in their natural habitats.
With such a love of wildlife and having enjoyed so many experiences in my travels around the world of seeing animals living in their natural habitats, I find that I am compelled to create artwork of it all. Whether it is for exhibition or on commission, the journey of trying to tell a story in a painting and endeavouring to create something that looks as if it could come to life and step off the picture remains a challenge that I enjoy taking on over and over again.
Commissioning a wildlife painting may not sound like the easiest thing to do……..but it does happen. I am working on one now; a large five foot wide oil painting which will serve as a reminder of how lucky the client was to return home to the UK following an incident with wildlife in Africa. The canvas is a beautiful Belgium linen from Russell and Chapple (London) and I am using Michael Harding oil paints.
Spending eleven years in Kenya in my teens and early twenties was a magical experience. We; my folks and I and also friends and I, travelled to some truly amazing places.
Above; is a photo of my mum and I having breakfast and watching wildlife ……quite a long time ago! We were staying at a lodge in Tsavo Game Park in Kenya; one of my favourite places to visit. We went there on many occasions and enjoyed watching the herds of elephant and also buffalo visit this waterhole. I would slide carefully down the cliff with an old Mzee (who was a retired park ranger) and watch the elephant.
Below; The elephants were attracted by the water seeping out from the pump, for the bandas at the top of the cliff.
My logo (seen on the ‘Welcome’ page of this website) is a painting of one of the elephants that visited the waterhole and that I was able to watch for days on end, taking photos and sketching, where possible…not so easy balanced on the cliff!
Another favourite place was Lake Paradise in Marasabit where on one trip we even caught a glimpse of the mighty Ahmed (largest tusked elephant in Kenya). We saw an eclipse of the sun in the desert outside Marsabit and for once the usually empty arid plains were littered with photographers from around the world! The desert was so ‘busy’ that I backed the combi into a rock trying to avoid a rather expensive camera set up on a tripod that I only saw at the last minute! Other fantastic trips included a week long drive with friends up to Lake Rudolf, bouncing the Landrovers over ‘moon rocks’ in dried up river beds as we travelled further north….and the atmospheric Aberdares where elephants crash through the forest and steep slopes, sometimes appearing suddenly on narrow tracks you are driving along!
Some time later I lived in Johanesburg in South Africa …where I met my Lancastrian husband through mutual friends from Kenya. We both loved traveling around the country, visiting some truly beautiful parts such as the magnificent Garden Route and magical Knysna. The Cape was magnificent…but a real favourite was Londolozi Game Lodge where we ended up feet from lions on the kill in an open top Landrover…I am not a fan of open top vehicles in game parks!
I loved living in Africa and am grateful for the wonderful memories and experiences I have had over the years. I also saw the difficulties and challenges some people face living there. When our son was born in Johannesburg, my husband and I left South Africa, unwilling to live any longer in a country with Apartheid. I have written a novel, a political thriller (unpublished) as a direct result of spending many happy years living in Kenya and then seeing the effects of Apartheid in South Africa. Happily, times have changed and recently our daughter spent two wonderful weeks traveling around South Africa with friends.
My experiences have left me with a love of Africa and a determination to use my artwork to help charities.
I now live in the Lytham St Annes in the North West (UK) and love being able to go down onto the beach with the dog, enjoying the feeling of space! I like big skies and the views out to sea. It reminds me of the time spent in Africa, enjoying the vast spaces .
Where possible I use my artwork to support the following charities that work in Africa, amongst other areas of the world:
BORN FREE FOUNDATION
TUSK
FEET FIRST WORLDWIDE
|
Comments are closed 
