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拍品專文
DAVID SHEPHERD, O.B.E., F.R.S.A. (BRITISH, B.1931)
In his formative years, David Shepherd's only ambition was to become a gamekeeper in Africa, and upon completing his education, he travelled to Kenya in pursuit of his dreams. However, unable to find employment in his desired profession, a bitterly disappointed Shepherd found himself working in a hotel, painting a series of bird pictures which he sold for £10 to fund his ticket home. This was quite a feat, given that the puropose of his previous artistic training had been to avoid playing Rugby at school.
"I couldn't see any fun being buried under heaps of bodies in the mud and having my face kicked in. I fled into the art department where it was more comfortable and painted the most unspeakably awful paintings of birds."
Returning to England, Shepherd was apprenticed to the maritime, animal and portrait painter, Robin Goodwin, where his initial output was primarily aviation subjects, and through this he was able to travel extensively.
In 1960, Shepherd was flown to Africa by the Royal Air Force and it was here he painted his first picture of a rhino. On the same visit the artist witnessed a horrific sight, where 255 Zebra, poisoned by poachers, lay dead at a waterhole. In this single dramatic moment David Shepherd became a conservationist and wildlife painter, realising that through his much sought after paintings he could repay his debt to the wildlife that was bringing him such success. To this day, the David Shepherd Wildlife Organisation has raised and donated over £3 million to conservation projects (for further details, please visit www.davidshepherd.org).
Today David Shepherd is recognised internationally as one of the world's leading wildlife artists. His prolific output of highly decorative pictures, diverse in subject, skilled in execution, and each possessing its own unique individuality, has brought him international acclaim and success - a success Shepherd admits he owes entirely to the animals he paints.
In his formative years, David Shepherd's only ambition was to become a gamekeeper in Africa, and upon completing his education, he travelled to Kenya in pursuit of his dreams. However, unable to find employment in his desired profession, a bitterly disappointed Shepherd found himself working in a hotel, painting a series of bird pictures which he sold for £10 to fund his ticket home. This was quite a feat, given that the puropose of his previous artistic training had been to avoid playing Rugby at school.
"I couldn't see any fun being buried under heaps of bodies in the mud and having my face kicked in. I fled into the art department where it was more comfortable and painted the most unspeakably awful paintings of birds."
Returning to England, Shepherd was apprenticed to the maritime, animal and portrait painter, Robin Goodwin, where his initial output was primarily aviation subjects, and through this he was able to travel extensively.
In 1960, Shepherd was flown to Africa by the Royal Air Force and it was here he painted his first picture of a rhino. On the same visit the artist witnessed a horrific sight, where 255 Zebra, poisoned by poachers, lay dead at a waterhole. In this single dramatic moment David Shepherd became a conservationist and wildlife painter, realising that through his much sought after paintings he could repay his debt to the wildlife that was bringing him such success. To this day, the David Shepherd Wildlife Organisation has raised and donated over £3 million to conservation projects (for further details, please visit www.davidshepherd.org).
Today David Shepherd is recognised internationally as one of the world's leading wildlife artists. His prolific output of highly decorative pictures, diverse in subject, skilled in execution, and each possessing its own unique individuality, has brought him international acclaim and success - a success Shepherd admits he owes entirely to the animals he paints.