Riding in West Sussex

My favourite way to get out into the countryside is on horseback and it is a great way to watch wildlife, especially deer and birds of prey. This weekend I have been riding Zennobia ( pictured) a beautiful and gentle grey Arab mare. When I am not painting I often take people hacking in the wonderful West Sussex countryside for a company called Rural Rides. West Sussex is such a pretty county of rolling Weald, graceful beech Hangers and wonderful panoramas from the chalk downland. In September the golds and reds of Autumn are slowly spreading across the landscape, hedges are heavy with fruit and the dusty tracks littered with chestnut and beech husks. It is hard to find a better way to spend the day! Fantastic horses, wonderful riding and great company. I am not sure what I love the most......... painting or riding!

Kayaking and Curlews

Paddling down the Beaulieu River last sunday in a kayak proved to be the perfect way to watch Curlews! I have only rarely seen these pretty waders with their haunting calls which are so reminiscent of windswept marshland, and here they were right on my doorstep. Drifting silently past the muddy banks and their scores of wading birds in a kayak was a wonderful experience. I will definately be trying this again but I think carrying a sketchpad or a camera might prove tricky! Like horse riding this might be one activity you just have to enjoy and remember the wildlife you encounter on the way.

Whale watching in the Bay of Biscay

After a summer of exhibitions it was great to get away for a few days and a trip down to Spain to look for whales sounded perfect. Travelling with The Company of Whales we were assured a wealth of expert advice on both cetaceans and sea birds. Unfortunately, the weather was against us. We set sail from Portsmouth in torrential rain and gusting winds and then endured two days of force 9 gales and heaving seas! It was exactly how I had envisaged the Bay of Biscay! Fighting sea sickness our group of determined whale watchers scanned the seas for a sign of a spout, whilst struggling to stand against the wind and shifting deck! No whales but dolphins in the English Channel and plenty of wonderful sea birds. Gannets and Shearwaters, Fulmars, Storm petrels and Skuas soared past on the wind, skimming the wave tops and totally at home in the environment. How amazing to think that these incredible birds spend most of their lives at sea, only coming to land to breed and raise their young. Many thanks to Dave and Judd for working so hard to find us some whales....Maybe next time!!

Society of Equestrian Artists Award

This painting of the Zebra - which was such fun to paint - won an award at the Society of Equestrian Artists exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London a couple of weeks ago. I was really delighted and surprised as this is the first year I have submitted work with the society. The award was the Society of All Artists Award for the best work by a Friend and is a crystal goblet. I loved painting this picture. Experimenting with colour and the dramatic pose of the Zebra made it a really absorbing piece to work on.

Talk at Marwell Wildlife Park Hampshire.

On Wednesday 15th July I will be giving an illustrated talk about my travels in Botswana at Marwell Wildlife Park, Hampshire. This will be similar to the talk I gave at Nature in Art back in February. Each year Marwell Zoo chooses a different conservation project and dedicates all its efforts to raise money for that cause. This year it has the SPRINT Cheetah Campaign and a goal of £225,000 to reach for various projects in Zimbabwe, Northern Kenya, Niger as well as a new home for the zoos own Cheetahs. With only 10,000 of these beautiful cats left in the wild it is critical that every effort is made to halt the decline in numbers. I will be joining fellow wildlife artist, Pip Mc Garry, who will be giving a painting demonstration prior to my talk. Other artists from the Art society have donated prints to be sold on the evening. We hope that the event will be well attended and plenty of money will be raised to help this great conservation project. Cheetahs are my favourite big cat and there is something so thrilling about watching them in the wild, For a start they are very hard to spot in their favoured hunting ground of vast, grassy savannah. I took this photo at Nxai Pan on the edge of the Makgadikgadi salt pans in Botswana as the sun was beginning to set. http://www.marwell.org.uk/ for more information.

Zebra painting

I was dog sitting for one of my friends at the beginning of May and decided to paint this Zebra while I was away from my studio. This painting is a bit different to most of my other work because of the colour choice. I wanted to create a very moody, dark background to this Zebra which has so much purple and blue in the shadows on its body. I loved the juxtaposition of the rich reds and purple and this absorbed my attention as much as the position of the Zebra.

Zebras are the most fantastic animals to observe in the wild. They are so alert to danger but bicker and nip and kick eachother all the time. It is fascinating to watch the same equine behaviour that you notice in fields of horses. The position of the Zebra in my painting is so typical for all equines when they are nervous; head up, ears pricked, eyes focused on whatever is the cause for concern and body tensed and ready to flee from danger. I have often been sat on top of a horse when it adopts this attitude and you know that at any minute you could be spinning round and galloping off in the opposite direction!

The dogs all loved sitting with me while I painted this picture. I had four laying on my feet or my lap as I worked!

Sumatran Tiger

I have finally finished the Sumatran Tiger, which has been on and off the easel for about six weeks. I will probably still fiddle with the fur detail for a bit longer before I am satisfied (if you ever are satisfied!) I had been thinking about painting this picture for a couple of years. There is something very intense in the gaze of a Tiger and the strong, black markings around the face really help to accentuate that stare. Such beautiful cats and the Sumatran is probably one of the most handsome of all the Tigers. I have called this painting 'Sumatran Beauty' and it will be exhibited at the Marwell Wildlife Art Show at Marwell Wildlife Park , Hampshire in August.