KARRYL “It’s late afternoon and I’ve found a sheltered spot to stop and just watch. An individual comes by, then another. More wander through MMM...Tasty the open area - young, old, small groups chattering, some teasing, Bronze pushing, just touching. Some walk silently close together, wise 14.5” x 20” x 6” expressive faces. A few stop to rest. One slows to ponder her tasty treat; a troop of baboons wandering by. ‘My pieces capture a moment in time in order to bring others to a closer awareness and appreciation of the natural world.’” 125 book_12May08.indd 125 19/05/2008 12:01:09 AM “This piece represents the amalgamation of my passions – drawing, experimenting with different techniques, depicting subjects up close, travelling, and birds of prey – in a unique way. While drawing is often associated with pencil on paper, I drew onto a board toned with thin acrylic washes, then created layers using erasers and scalpels to remove pencil before applying more graphite. And, although portraits traditionally show one subject on a plain background, I combined multiple poses, sizes, and light sources, concentrating on directing the viewer’s gaze from one pose to the next. Furthermore, spending weeks under an active Harpy Eagle nest during the AFC Expedition was an unforgettable experience, as I had always dreamed of observing the most powerful bird of prey in its natural habitat. By portraying this threatened species, I hope to increase awareness of the key role its conservation plays in the maintenance of a healthy ecosystem. I often say that my ‘best painting’ will be my ‘next one’. Since my Harpy Eagle experience I have gained confidence to try different things, not following a ‘safe’ route. I am excited about the direction of my work and this piece is a great example of where I am heading.” DAVI D K I T L E R Harpy Eagle - Portraits Pencil & Acrylic on Baltic birch 35.7” x 11” 126 book_12May08.indd 126 19/05/2008 12:01:11 AM E RI K O K O B A Y A S H I “ In Japan, ‘Renge’ flowers are planted as a natural fertilizer in our rice fields and are tilled into the soil before the rice paddies are filled Field of ‘Renge’ Flowers with water. The flowers attract insects, which in turn attract a variety of Watercolor on Arches Paper birds. Every spring, we would enjoy this seasonal visual expression, as 15” x 22” seen through the window of our train. I have been missing this scene. One day, I found these flowers in a small area close to where I live. I was very excited with this field of rosy pink flowers; however, a part of this area had been converted to a parking lot and a narrow dirt path along the rice fields had been asphalted. I am wondering whether doing this was really necessary and I hope this comfort-scenery will not be lost to us. “ 127 book_12May08.indd 127 19/05/2008 12:01:14 AM E S T H E R L I D S T R O M “On a typically bright day in New Mexico, I passed the time watching horses in a large corral. These two were obviously pals. The various colors Spirit I observed on their coats fascinated me. I liked the relaxed demeanor Pastel of one and the lively curiosity of the other and decided to capture both 18” x 24” colors and attitudes in ‘Spirit’. “ 128 book_12May08.indd 128 19/05/2008 12:01:19 AM STEVEN LINGHAM “This female Sparrowhawk has been portrayed having finished devour- ing a Wood Pigeon (note the bulging crop). I wanted to emulate the All Done spirit of the hawk, by painting the surroundings as though a dark, rainy Acrylic & gouache day, with tangles of long grass entwining the scene.” 12.5” x 18” 129 book_12May08.indd 129 19/05/2008 12:01:23 AM D O R C A S M AC C LINTOC K “With taloned feet, hooked beak, and extraordinary powers Owl II of hearing and seeing, this small predator of the twilight and night perches on a low branch, intent on a moving form and Bronze scuttling noise on the forest floor. Orienting its head so that 10” x 12” x 8” the sound is equally intense in both its asymmetrically placed ears, the owl is ready to strike. “ 130 book_12May08.indd 130 19/05/2008 12:01:30 AM L A U R A M AR K - F I N B E R G “In the painting ‘Intensity’, I’ve tried to capture that moment in time prior to the young tiger’s explosion of energy towards its intended Intensity (Young Tiger) prey. Acrylic 16” x 20” My goal was to allow the viewer to feel the tension, and feel the power about to be unleashed. I placed the tiger in the tall grasses and gave them a lilting and lyrical quality to play off the tension, much like a soft melodic overture portends a powerful multilayered cacophony of music.” 131 book_12May08.indd 131 19/05/2008 12:01:35 AM M I C H E L L E M C C U N E “As a veterinarian, artist and conservationist, I strive to stimulate and educate the viewer about wildlife, their environments, and Contemplation the need for conservation before these visions vanish forever. Each Oil piece depicts a precious moment of time I was fortunate enough 20” x 24” to experience and provides the viewer a window into the lives and personalities of these majestic animals.” 132 book_12May08.indd 132 19/05/2008 12:01:37 AM PI P M C G A R R Y Amur Leopard Cub Oil on canvas 12” x 10” 133 book_12May08.indd 133 19/05/2008 12:01:39 AM JOEL MERRINER “This painting depicts an area of moorland near my home on The Buzzard Rock Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, England. I have often seen a buzzard perched on this granite boulder, surveying the steeply sloping hill- Oil on canvas side below, or wheeling somewhere above as in the picture. The 20” x 30” rock is surrounded by thick clumps of gorse and in the distance stands a small stone cross erected in memory of a Cornish charac- ter from times gone by.” 134 book_12May08.indd 134 19/05/2008 12:01:41 AM DIRK MOERBEEK Musjo Acrylic on linen 16” x 16” 135 book_12May08.indd 135 19/05/2008 12:01:45 AM STEVE MORVELL “The Meerkat is one of the most fascinating animals to be found in Africa . A member of the Mongoose family the Meerkat is typical in its communal and Concensus-Meerkats hyperactive behaviour. As a tightly knit and co-operative community, Meerkats Charcoal engraving on board do almost everything together. But no matter what they are doing at any given 26” x 47” time, there is always at least one animal allocated guard duty and he or she can usually be seen standing on a high point of ground or perched at the top of a convenient bush keeping a weather eye out for predators.” 136 book_12May08.indd 136 19/05/2008 12:01:50 AM M A R I L Y N N EWMAR K Mother Bronze 11” x 18.25” x 7.25” 137 book_12May08.indd 137 19/05/2008 12:01:54 AM A L I S O N N I C H O L L S “During my recent trip to Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe I saw many Sable Drinking antelope searching for water around muddy waterholes, but the Sable were Watercolor the only ones who waded into the middle to drink. Elephants were monopo- 14” x 18” lizing the clean water pumped from boreholes and their huge numbers (and huge thirst) meant that very little clean water trickled past them into the main waterhole where other animals were forced to drink. So this mother and calf waded straight in, ignoring the resident crocodiles, to try and find a little clean water. After a few small mouthfuls they waded back to the dusty bank, with the calf struggling to pull itself free of the mud. As they rejoined the herd and walked off into the bush they had strange tidemarks of thick gray mud completely obscuring their striking white belly markings.” 138 book_12May08.indd 138 19/05/2008 12:01:57 AM “My AFC Flag Expedition, titled ‘Painting the Painted Dogs’ allowed me to spend 6 weeks at the Painted Dog Conservation project near Hwange National Park in the north-west of Zimbabwe, searching for and sketching these highly endangered predators. In Zimbabwe, African Wild Dogs are known as Painted Dogs because their Latin name (Lycaon Pictus) means ‘painted wolf-like animal’ and their individually marked coats of black, white and tan give them a painted appearance. The name ‘wild dog’ has also been replaced because it implies, incorrectly, that the dogs are vicious and feral. During my trip I spent many long hot days tracking the dogs with PDC staff, listening on headphones for the telltale beeps from a dog’s radio collar. Many of my sightings were of the dogs trotting down sandy tracks as they set off hunting in the early evening. Every now and then one of the dogs would veer off into the bush but would often reappear further down the track a couple of minutes later. Eventually they would find signs of game and leave the track to hunt for antelope in the thick bush.” ALISON NICHOLLS Dogs At Dusk Egg tempera and graphite on Ingres paper 15” x 15” 139 book_12May08.indd 139 19/05/2008 12:02:01 AM M A R Y L O U I S E O ’ S U L L I V A N “I had just acquired my first digital camera when I took a Tricolor Heron Spearing Fish series of action shots - birds fishing.