Artists for Painted Dogs

                                                                'Stained by the land'

This year Artists for Painted Dogs organised their second Autumn online exhibition and I was really delighted to have my mixed media artwork 'Stained by the land' selected. 

Artists will share their sales profits this year with the The Kalahari African Wild Dog Conservation Trust and Wildlife Act. The KWDCT is an organisation in Namibia dedicated to the conservation of African wild dogs, which are Namibia's most endangered large carnivore. They are dedicated to ensuring the survival of the species. Wildlife Act have conservation projects across South Africa.

My Artwork is a mixed media work created with woodcut printmaking and watercolour painting.

Sketching wildlife.

Animals are still the favourite subject for my artwork. Although it can often be challenging to sketch them in the flesh, it's also very rewarding and helps you really understand the anatomy and character of your subject. It always pays to have a sketchbook on hand as you never know where and when you might get a chance.

Snoozing piglets in the home farm at Wimpole Hall 

I've never been on safari or had the opportunity to sketch wild animals in their natural habitat outside the UK, so taking photographs in wildlife parks is my only other option and it does often allow a closer view, which admittedly is useful when I want to see a lot of detail for making woodcut prints.

My lovely restored Albion Press for relief printing.

The conditions in wildlife parks and zoo's are greatly improved from those I remember seeing as a child in the 60's, but I still find it very sad to see wild animals in captivity. I hope to visit the Wild Place Project in Bristol soon, which aims to relocate all the animals from the old Bristol Zoo and offer bigger spaces that more closely reflect the animals' natural habitats whilst also increasing it's conservation work.

There are some fantastic conservation programmes nowadays and better enrichment for many animals, but it would be nice to imagine that one day we won't keep wild animals captive for our amusement or their survival.