From protective owl parents to clucky mother ducks, I explore the way animals interact with their young in this collection of paintings. Using a combination of oil and acrylic paint as well as pencil, my detailed style tells the stories of the amazing animal parents I watch in the wild.
Great Crested Grebe & Chicks | Limited Edition Print
Great Crested Grebes
Great Crested Grebes mums are supported by their partners, right down to their tendency to have just two chicks - one for each parent bird to carry piggyback. The painting below was inspired by watching a pair teach their young chicks to swim.
Tireless reed warblers
The following painting was inspired by watching a reed warbler that had been tricked into thinking a cuckoo chick was its own. The poor thing was so exhausted fetching more andmore food for a chick that was three times its size.
Curlew & Chicks | Limited Edition Print
Curlew chicks
Curlews are very protective parents. I watched this clucky curlew mum anxiously shoo her chicks to safety several times whilst her mate defended the nest site from intruders.
Just Hatched | Limited Edition Print
Mallard ducks
Mallard ducks are also very protective birds and a female will even feign injury to lead predators away from their nests, limping away flapping their wings despite the considerable risk to themselves.
Wren nest
Among the animal mums I most admire are wrens. These tiny birds are singularly devoted mums. This painting was inspired by a wren mum who continued to focus on the job of feeding her chicks despite the efforts of her mate to distract her.
Goldfinch on Nest | Limited Edition Art Print
Inspired by a goldfinch
The painting below was inspired by a goldfinch pair nesting in an elderberry tree next to the back door of my parent’s house. I put a hide on top of their porch roof to study this nest up close.
Three Tawny Owlets | Limited Edition Print
Inspired by tawny owl parents
Tawny owls are among the most devoted parents I have watched. These owls even accept foster chicks and raise them as their own. I use cameras hidden in the nest of a tawny owl to inform my artwork.
Hare & Leverets | Limited Edition Print
Inspired by a lone parent
Hares only visit their young once or twice a day, at dusk, and stay just long enough to let them suckle. These fleeting moments are one of nature's greatest secrets and the inspiration for this painting. I also filmed this magical interaction. Click here to watch
Stoat mums
Stoat mums have the remarkable ability to delay the implantation of their eggs to ensure that their young are born in spring, when they have the best chance of survival. This painting was inspired by a stoat named Bandita whose life I followed.
Red fox
I spent a week crammed into a suburban Wendy house watching an urban vixen interact with her three cubs. I was struck at how patient she was. Even after a long day out hunting for their food she had time to settle amongst the energetic cubs to groom and even play with them.
Roe deer
Roe does generally raise their foals alone and can have up to three, but there is a high mortality rate in the first year. The drawing below was inspired by a tender moment between a doe and her foal.
Zebra with Young | Limited Edition Print
Zebra and young
This zebra foal was trying to shelter its head from the punishing midday sun in Etosha Park in Namibia. As it lowered its head the adult zebra mirrored the pose. I used broad brush strokes to create an impression of the rest of the herd fading into the background so that the viewer focussed in on the moment.
Leopard Cubs | Limited Edition Print
Leopard cubs
Leopards are highly secretive and usually hide their cubs in caves or thickets. The female stays with the cubs for the first two years, and after that they become independent and lead solitary lives. Watching these two play was a real privilege.
