Isle of Wight artist Tony Feld has been shortlisted for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s (DSWF) Wildlife Artist of the Year award.
Celebrating its 10th year, the international event will showcase some of the world’s best wildlife art at London’s prestigious Mall Galleries this summer (28th June-2nd July).
Tony, from Ryde, will be vying for the top £10,000 sponsored prize. He said:
“I started painting again about 5 years ago after a very long break. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. Now I am constantly looking at things thinking how they would be to paint.
“I am interested in light and dark, shadows and reflections and many of my paintings show this, particularly the bird paintings”.
Award-winning artist Gary Hodges, who is one of the judges for this year’s competition, said:
“This year’s shortlist brings the wild to life.
“From the silence of a shark casting its shadowy form on the ocean bed to the scuttling of armadillos, the peacefulness of hippos wallowing in the early morning sun and the symphony of bird song at dusk, selecting the overall winner from this amazing collection will be extremely hard.”
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163 pieces of art will be put before the judges when they make their final selection on the morning of Tuesday 27th June ahead of the private view and prize-giving that evening.
Commenting on the event, wildlife artist and conservationist David Shepherd CBE said:
“I set up my Foundation with the sole purpose of giving something back to the animals that helped me achieve success as an artist. At a time when the world’s wildlife is under such devastating pressure from expanding human populations and the illegal trade, it seems fitting that we take a step back and reflect on the sheer beauty and diversity of our natural world and what could be lost if we do not truly appreciate the value of the world around us.”
Each piece in the exhibition at the Mall Galleries is for sale, with profits split 50/50 between the artists and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s wildlife conservation projects across Africa and Asia. Since 2007, the event has raised more than £350,000 to help protect some the world’s most endangered wildlife.
