Alison Nicholls

I have spent many hours watching & sketching wildlife in the bush. This allows me to create natural & convincing compositions even though my paintings are produced in the studio, thousands of miles away from Africa. Sketching is vital to my work and I treat it like a life drawing class where I copy what I actually see in the bush. Painting is a completely different process because I'm not copying, I'm creating a piece of artwork.

Although I paint the wildlife and landscapes of Africa, it is also the qualities of the African light that I aim to capture. Usually the light effects are those of dusk or dawn – the times of day when many of the animals are most active. I also love the dry season in southern Africa when the dust and heat combine to flatten the landscapes and turn animals into silhouettes. Many of my paintings use the light effects found at this time of year. So although I am an African wildlife artist and want my subjects to be instantly recognizable, my aim is not to paint photographically but to capture my impressions of each scene.

For me southern Africa is an artist's paradise and although I have traveled extensively all my life, I haven't found anything quite as intoxicating as the African bush. During years of camping trips in Botswana I had several unforgettable wildlife experiences including lions appearing out of the darkness as I sat at the campfire, a herd of several hundred buffalo plodding through camp to the river below and wild dogs chasing impala between our tents. But it's not all about action. In fact the quieter times are what remind me most vividly of Africa - watching Abdim's storks wheeling high on the thermals after the rains, listening to barking geckoes in the Kalahari or being woken by francolins at dawn.

Although the experience of sketching in the bush is invaluable I have always treated field sketching and studio painting as two very different techniques and as a result my field sketches rarely form the basis of paintings completed in the studio. In my studio paintings (seen here) I exclude unnecessary detail and often have no identifiable background or landscape. I prefer this more impressionistic approach and actually find it easier to paint this way when I am in the studio, away from the detail and activity of the bush. However, traveling to Africa is essential as it allows me to replenish my mental 'library` of images, colors, smells, sounds and sensations, all of which are an integral part of my finished paintings.

As a wildlife artist and a Signature Member of Artists For Conservation I have a keen interest in conservation issues and use my artwork to raise funds for conservation groups in the southern African region whenever possible. In February 2007 I was awarded an AFC Fellowship Grant to conduct the 5th AFC Flag Expedition. My expedition, titled "Painting the Painted Dogs - Artistic Study of an Endangered Hunter" involved a 6-week visit to the Painted Dog Conservation project just outside Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. I spent time tracking and sketching African Wild Dogs (known as Painted Dogs in Zimbabwe). I completed my expedition in the Fall of 2007 and am now exhibiting artwork, photographs & sketches to publicize this highly social and highly endangered species. My exhibitions are accompanied by a series of talks and you can find details of dates & venues by visiting the News & Events page. I am donating 25% of proceeds from all Painted Dog artwork and 100% of all talk fees to the Painted Dog Conservation project.

My watercolors were featured in the March/April 2007 issue of Wildlife Art magazine and the US Department of State used one of my paintings, "Spots in the Grass", as the backdrop for information promoting the new "Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking" initiative.

I have exhibited at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina, and my paintings have been shown at the Botswana Mission to the United Nations in Manhattan.

I frequently give slide talks aimed at showcasing southern Africa and its wildlife. Apart from the fact that I never tire of talking about Africa, these talks allow me to show some of the amazing places and stunning wildlife of the region. I discuss conservation issues, sketching in the bush, local rock art, traveling conditions and explain what it is like to camp in remote places. I have spoken to numerous organizations including volunteers at the Bronx Zoo and Central Park Zoos, schools and other groups.

I write monthly email newsletters containing new artworks, photos, exhibition details and stories from my sketching trips. To receive your copy please click here and enter your contact details.

I hope I have explained a little about my art and my motivation to paint. It is both the activity and the tranquillity of the African bush that I aim to portray in my paintings. I hope that through my artwork you will see some of what I have seen. If you do, you`ll know why I am an African wildlife artist.

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