There are many different styles of art, contemporary, realist, photographic, however the common aim of all art is to portray the way in which the artist,sees and feels the picture that he is painting. Particularly with wildlife art, there are many artists whose work has almost photographic in nature, this style of work has a certain initial wow factor. How did the artist manage to paint almost every hair on the tiger's back. etc? The American market is particularly fond of this style of painting. Carl Brenders is one such artist whose work has this magically meticulous quality. Some artists will take a photo and project it onto a large canvas and fill it in piece by piece. Others may argue that this is not the point of art and that a camera can adequately capture the moment that such an artist is trying to portray.
On the other extreme, contemporary wildlife art tends to produce an image that one may vaguely recognize, and use colors, and sweeping brush strokes to illustrate the speed, agility or immense size of an amimal. This takes a certain amount of thought and mental effort on the part of the viewer, but is normally a rewarding experience, as one unravels the various pieces of the canvas to reveal a story that the artist is wanting to illustrate. In some respects similar to seeing a complete scene in the clouds or other objects when in a relaxed frame of mind.
Somewhere in between these two methods of painting, lies a group of artists who appreciate the detail and realism of a painting, but wish to capture the atmosphere and give the painting a certain character. The most well known artist who paints in this style is of course, David Shepherd. His depiction of Tigers and Elephants in their natural surroundings, show the heat of the land, or the an approaching storm, the coolness of the water, or the vast freezing expanses of the arctic tundra.
Usually artists will have certain reasons for painting particular subjects., and it is often the wonder of seeing these amazing animals wandering across the world we live in, that inspires them to paint| and capture what they see and the attached emmotions that come with such an experience.
Some artists go one step further and become involved in the support of wildlife, realizing that our world has finite resources, and the importance of looking after not only the natural resources such as gas, coal, oil, petrol, but having some respect for the land that we are using, for example the rain forest in south America. Many animals depend on a particular habitat, and their population can be devastated by some thoughtless actions that destroy their way of living.
Unfortunately there are many species of animal in danger of extinction due to the uncontrolled growth, or maybe greed of mankind. By highlighting their plight, some artists have managed to raise the level of awareness of the world's wildlife, and enjoy the satisfaction of seeing their work helping the world we live in.
David Tatham has been working in the world of fine arts for over many years and . His David Shepherd prints and paintings website contains a wealth of information, also hundreds signed, limited edition prints and original works of art by world renowned wildlife artist, David Shepherd.
© Solomon & Whitehead © David Shepherd