Painting of the week | winter 2019-20

See wildlife reflected through the seasons through this collection of fine-art paintings, chosen for you each week. 

I paint directly from my own photographs taken in the wild. Follow this link to see the captures that inspired each artwork.

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February 24th, 2020 Badger: On Duty at Dusk Wildlife Painting of the Week

A badger sett near my home on the Yorkshire Wolds has provided live models for paintings for many years. I visit the sett every evening and over the years they have come to accept me. This painting features one of the latest badgers in this wild sett. 

Click here to read more about the sett and see more from my badger art collection

 

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February 14th, 2020 Oystercatchers Wildlife Painting of the Week

Is this the most romantic commission ever? I was asked to paint oystercatchers to commemorate a wedding proposal at Craster Harbour. The composition is full of symbolism – can you see the auspicious date and time of the proposal stamped on the boat 

 

 

February 10th, 2020 Long Tailed Tits Wildlife Painting of the Week

This is the latest in a large collection of paintings inspired by these pretty pink birds. They are such fun birds to watch. Sociable, and noisy, they group together in large flocks, all roosting together to keep warm at night. In the breeding season, females will help to feed one another’s young too.

Click here to read my blog post on watching long-tailed tits for my paintings.

 

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February 3rd, 2020 Little Egret Wildlife Painting of the Week

I painted this little egret in oil paints and found the detailed brushstrokes on the long plumes entrancing to do. Did you know that in the 19th century these feathers were worth more than gold? Thankfully protection laws mean this elegant bird is now thriving and is relatively common here in the UK – although the reason for this may have more to do with climate change.

 

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January 22nd, 2020 Waxwings in Rowan Wildlife Painting of the Week

These exotic birds get their name from a tiny blob of red at the tip of their upper wings which is said to look as though it has been dipped in sealing wax. It’s a quaint name for a bird with such as striking quiff of head feathers and elegant markings it looks as though it could be from the East. I’m not the only artist inspired to pick up a paintbrush after spotting a flock. Waxwings are from distant shores: but from Scandinavia not China.  They fly here most winters to escape the cold and to feed on our winter berries. The painting below was inspired by watching waxwings in a rowan tree.

Click here to read the full story behind the painting. 

 

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January 15th, 2020 Fox on the Lookout Wildlife Painting of the Week

Foxes are particularly vocal in winter and their blood-curdling love calls often shatter the quiet of the countryside at night. The sound is actually made by the vixen during love-making and is often also accompanied by the loud, triple-bark of the dog fox as it proclaims its territory. This painting was inspired by the experience of following a fox through snow. I was tracking its footprints when it suddenly turned round and looked straight at me.

Click here to see my collection of fox paintings

 

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January 8th, 2020 Bullfinch on Blossom Wildlife Painting of the Week

Happy New Year! My choice for this week’s painting of the week is this bullfinch, perched on apple blossom. Bullfinches are one of Britain’s most colourful birds. The males have soft, rose-coloured breasts which makes them easy to identify. These birds are very shy and only visit gardens in winter when food in the wild is scarce.

Click here to read my top tips on how to get bullfinches in your garden.

 

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December 18th, 2019 Robin on Hawthorn Wildlife Painting of the Week 

The cheery redbreast of a robin brightens up a winter-white landscape, making it the bird most associated with Christmas. These bold little birds are also more likely to approach humans out walking on cold winter days, although actually they are not being friendly, as most people think, but territorial.

Click here to read more about how robins battle the cold in winter

 

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December 11th, 2019 Barn Owl on Cart Wildlife Painting of the Week

Barn owls are one of my favourite wildlife subjects to paint. I used acrylics for the painting below. The cart was actually one that had caught my eye in an exhibition about farming at Kew Gardens. I chose to pose a barn owl I had been watching here in Yorkshire on to it for this composition.

Click here to see more of my barn owl paintings

 

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December 4th, 2019 Cheetah and Cubs Wildlife Painting of the Week

This painting of a cheetah and its cubs was a commission. I’ve chosen to feature it this week to highlight International Cheetah Day. There are less than 7,100 cheetahs left in the wild, making the cheetah Africa’s most endangered big cat. They need all the support they can get. 

 

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You may also like:

 

Click here for a weekly selection of the photographs behind my paintings: Wildlife Photo Of The Week

Click here to look back at this year’s autumn painting choices

Click here to look back at my wildlife art summer choices.

Click here to look back at my wildlife painting spring choices.