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Creepers and Cheetahs Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

African Field Sketch #1 – Creepers and Cheetahs

Field Sketch #1: Creepers and Cheetahs was sketched on one of those rare occasions when I have time to sketch the animals and then add the background too. I was fortunate that the cheetahs had chosen such a beautiful place to rest, lying half way up a termite mound, with the lovely loops of the creepers (vines) behind. The black bird perched there is a fork-tailed drongo. The watercolor was added when I returned to camp, purely from memory, with no use of photos or video.

Creepers and Cheetahs Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

Creepers and Cheetahs Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

The Original Field Sketch is watercolor & pencil on watercolor paper, 11×14″, priced at US$300. Limited Edition Giclées are also available, priced at US$120 each. Only 10 copies are available, printed using archival inks on watercolor paper, 11×14″, all signed and numbered by me.

All my field sketches, are created in Africa directly from life, or sketched back at camp purely from my memory of sightings. They are completely finished in Africa and I use no photos or video reference at any time in their creation. It is always tempting to add finishing touches back in the studio, but I avoid this to ensure that my field sketches really are field sketches. 

A donation will be made to African conservation from every sale.

Over the next few weeks (Nov 1- 22), I will be sharing 1 of my new African field sketches every day. The new sketches are shown to my newsletter readers a full day before they are shown here. Click here to Join my Mailing List and see the sketches as soon as they are released.

Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them!
Until tomorrow…
Take care
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

African Field Sketches by Alison Nicholls ©2015

Want To See My New African Field Sketches?

All my new field sketches have now been scanned and I am ready to show them to you! 

I will be releasing them on my blog and on social media, one every day, for 3 weeks, starting on November 2nd.
Why November 2nd?
Because before I put them online here, I will be showing them to my newsletter readers – starting on November 1st. So they get to see them a day in advance.

If you also want to see them on the day they are released, use this link to Join My Mailing List. Or, you can wait to see them here. But some of them may be sold by the time they are posted here…

African Field Sketches by Alison Nicholls ©2015

African Field Sketches by Alison Nicholls ©2015

Shown above is a montage of a few of the new pieces you will soon see in detail. All my field sketches, are created in Africa directly from life, or sketched back at camp purely from my memory of sightings. They are completely finished in Africa and I use no photos or video reference at any time in their creation. It is always tempting to add finishing touches back in the studio, but I avoid this to ensure that my field sketches really are field sketches. 

Remember, if you want to see them on the day they are released, you can Join My Mailing List. Or, you can wait to see them here, a day later. Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them!

Until November 1st…(or 2nd)!
Take care
Alison

www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

“Painting is the most magical of mediums,” said Chuck Close. “The transcendence is truly amazing to me every time I go to a museum and I see how somebody figured another way to rub colored dirt on a flat surface and make space where there is no space or make you think of a life experience.”

Watercolor washes by Alison Nicholls

Watercolor washes by Alison Nicholls

It really is a strange thing, to want to paint your own version of reality and, by doing so, spark emotion in those who view it. Why not just show people the real thing? Why do we find it interesting to look at an artist’s version of reality instead?

A painting shows us what the artist wanted us to see, but it also shows us something about the artist who created it. There are layers of meaning in each work. Maybe you see them, and maybe you don’t. Maybe you don’t care to see them. Maybe they are blatantly obvious, maybe deeply hidden. But they are there. And sometimes they awaken emotion in us.

I often wonder if paintings can create emotion precisely because they are motionless, Does this lack of movement give us time to think more deeply? Like watching a movie in slow motion – where each frame and expression seems to have more meaning, because we see them pass by so slowly?

Who knows?
But I have to agree with Chuck, painting is the most magical of mediums…

Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Leaoprd in Magenta, painting by Alison Nicholls

Leopard in Magenta by Alison Nicholls

My first attempts at painting this leopard in acrylic didn’t start well. I soon found myself painting too much detail, painting too many spots and rosettes and whiskers. It is certainly easy to get distracted by detail when painting such an exquisitely marked cat, but detail was not what I had in mind.

Leaoprd in Magenta, painting by Alison Nicholls

Leopard in Magenta, acrylic on canvas 20×16″ by Alison Nicholls ©2015

A new start was needed, and a bolder approach. Here is the final result – a painting I’m thrilled with. It certainly knocks the spots off my two previous attempts!!

Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Free Shipping within the US to celebrate my new website. Plus half-price international shipping!

Celebrating Art Inspired by Africa Website!

Free Shipping within the US to celebrate my new website. Plus half-price international shipping!

Free Shipping within the US to celebrate my new website. Plus half-price international shipping!

If you haven’t already visited my new website, here’s a good reason to do so – to celebrate the launch, I am offering Free Shipping within the US and half-price shipping to international destinations, for the entire month of February!

Are you still here?
Oh yes, sorry, here’s the link!

www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Until next time…
Alison

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New website www.artinspiredbyafrica.com by Alison Nicholls

New Year – New Website!

New website www.artinspiredbyafrica.com by Alison Nicholls

My new website – www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com – can be viewed on your computer, tablet or smartphone.

I hope you are having a wonderful start to 2015. I thought this would be the ideal time to unveil my brand new website, which you can view from your computer, tablet or smartphone!

I wanted to create a website with clean, simple lines, to best display my colorful African acrylics and watercolor field sketches. Kim Bruce of Artbiz helped me achieve this, and it has been a pleasure working with her. I hope you agree that the result was worth the effort. Take a look and you’ll see my Paintings, Sketches and Limited Editions, plus Art Safaris (there are just 2 places remaining on this year’s safari) and completely new pages for The Artist and my Conservation Sketching Expeditions. There is a new shopping cart with shipping options and you’ll find my Blog on the website too. I’m thrilled with the new design and hope you will be too – so take a look and let me know!

www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Uploading all my images and text took a fair amount of time and by the time I finished I was seeing my website in my sleep, which makes it difficult to spot errors. So, in case you need more encouragement to visit my new site, I’m offering a free gift to whoever finds the best (or worst) error in my new website, or whoever makes the best suggestion for improvement. A couple of exceptions should be noted – giving my work away for free will not be considered a valid suggestion, and US spellings do not count as errors!!!

Finally I’d like to thank Dale Simmons of Ezpics, who worked with me on my previous website for over 10 years. He was great to work with, and I’ll be keeping in touch for more chats about conservation and life in Montana. Thanks Dale!

www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Until next time…
Alison

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Shimmer & Shukas by Alison Nicholls

Art Challenge Day 5 – People and Conservation

Shimmer and Shukas Field Sketch, watercolor 11x14" by Alison Nicholls

Shimmer and Shukas Field Sketch, watercolor 11×14″ by Alison Nicholls

The Herd, acrylic on canvas 24x20" by Alison Nicholls

The Herd, acrylic on canvas 24×20″ by Alison Nicholls

Living Walls, acrylic on canvas 29x29" by Alison Nicholls

Living Walls, acrylic on canvas 29×29″ by Alison Nicholls

Although I had painted landscapes and wildlife, I never thought I was interested in painting or sketching people. But as I got to know Botswana better, I did try my hand at a couple of pieces. However, I was never comfortable sketching people without their permission and was too shy to ask. As with so many things in life, it was only after I left Africa that I realized what a chance I had been missing all those years. But luckily for me, it was also at this time that I became familiar with the African People & Wildlife Fund in Tanzania and arranged with Dr Laly Lichtenfeld to spend time at the project sketching. While I was there I learned about APW’s work with the local communities and saw firsthand some of the complex conservation issues facing both people and wildlife. I knew I wanted to include these issues in my work and began composing some conservation-themed paintings which show issues like human-wildlife conflict.

My visits to APW grew out of my visit to the Painted Dog Conservation project back in 2007, but with APW I moved into the realm of painting people. Frankly, when I first visited, I had absolutely no idea how much I was going to enjoy this! The conservation of wildlife and habitat depends on the decisions that will be made by people who share the land with wildlife. If their lives are made easier by the elimination of wildlife then it will be difficult for wildlife to survive and roam freely. The work of conservation organizations can help to provide workable solutions, but it is the people who will make the ultimate decisions – which is why I am pleased to finally incorporate both the people and wildlife of Africa in my art.

These days I make a donation to African conservation from the sale of every original painting, original field sketch and limited edition giclée and I aim to use my work to explain complex conservation issues and highlight solutions which are being used in the field.

Thank you for following my week of Art Challenge posts, I hope it gave you an insight into my artistic journey. Life as an artist has its ups and downs but I never want to do anything else. Its been a wild adventure so far. Long may it continue!
Alison

Learn more about the African People & Wildlife Fund.
Learn more about Painted Dog Conservation.

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Towards Evening, watercolor on paper by Alison Nicholls

Art Challenge Day 4 – A New Medium!

Towards Evening, watercolor on paper 8x10" by Alison Nicholls

Towards Evening, watercolor on paper by Alison Nicholls

A-Shady-Spot-by-Alison-Nicholls

A Shady Spot, watercolor on paper 12×12″ by Alison Nicholls

Sun Spots, acrylic on canvas 29x29" by Alison Nicholls

Sun Spots, fluid acrylic on canvas 29×29″ by Alison Nicholls

I don’t work from an easel, I paint with my work flat on a desk. What this means is that I can’t get too far away from my work without moving it off the desk and standing it up. As a result, I found that I was often working close-up, which made my use of color weaker, and increased my use of detail. When my works were framed I felt I had to walk up close to really see them, when actually I wanted to be able to stand across the room and see them. I needed to be bolder. So over time I strengthened my colors and gradually background landscapes disappeared, as I removed everything that I felt was unnecessary in my compositions. Then I switched from watercolor on paper to fluid acrylic on watercolor canvas. Which is how I am painting now. I love the vivid colors, the lightweight canvas, the fact that I don’t have to stretch paper anymore before using it and the fact that I can frame without mats and glass. It took a long time but I think I found my medium!

Tomorrow I’ll show how my subject matter has progressed since I switched to fluid acrylic.

See you tomorrow…
Alison

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Cheetah Trio by Alison Nicholls

Art Challenge Day 3 – Field Sketching

Mabuasehube ANicholls

Mabuasehube, watercolor field sketch by Alison Nicholls

Gemsbok ANicholls

Gemsbok (oryx) watercolor field sketches by Alison Nicholls

Cheetah Trio Field Sketch © Alison Nicholls

Cheetah Trio Field Sketch, watercolor by Alison Nicholls

Once I started taking my watercolors out into the bush to sketch I reached a turning point. Gradually my sketches progressed from landscapes with tiny animals in them, to pages with multiple animals on them, to full page sketches which I now sell as finished pieces and as limited editions. During these years I was awarded an Artists For Conservation Flag Expedition. I spent 6 weeks with the Painted Dog Conservation project in Zimbabwe sketching all kinds of wildlife including highly endangered African wild dogs. This period of time when sketching was my top priority for 6 weeks made all the difference. I now knew that sketching from life made me far more aware of the movement and anatomy of animals than working from photos had ever done, and as a result I was able to speed up my sketching and could turn to my sketches back in the studio for inspiration. But, even more critically, I  could create compositions in the studio without any reference material, because I now had images of real, moving animals buried deep in my artistic memory. Now I felt I was getting somewhere!

Tomorrow I’ll show how my studio work progressed to become full of color & space. In the meantime, the next artist I’d like to nominate is Hazel Jarvis. We have been on many a sketching jaunt into New York City and Hazel’s work is always fabulous regardless of which medium she uses.

Until tomorrow…
Alison

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Zebra, pastel 20x16" by Alison Nicholls

Art Challenge Day 2 – Wildlife in Detail

Zebra, pastel 20x16" by Alison Nicholls

Zebra, pastel 20×16″ by Alison Nicholls

At Rest ANicholls

At Rest, cheetah in pastel 20×16″ by Alison Nicholls

Pride-On-The-Move by Alison Nicholls

Pride On The Move, lions in pastel 20×30″ by Alison Nicholls

Day 2 of the Art Challenge.
After a while, surrounded by wildlife during my bush trips, I decided I really needed to start using animals in my paintings. I switched to pastel for a while and loved using the colored papers. But using this like a drawing medium meant that once again detail was the focus of my work (still surrounded by space, but lots of detail nevertheless) And if you want this level of detail, you really have to work from photos, something I desperately wanted to get away from, but couldn’t figure out how.

Next time, I realize that field sketching is the way out of my dilemma.

And the next artist I’d like to nominate for the Art Challenge is Karen Laurence-Rowe, whose paintings are so wonderfully expressive (I was particularly struck by her giraffes). So enjoy her work and I’ll be back tomorrow, with field sketches.

Until then…
Alison

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Okavango Palms

Art Challenge Day 1 – Watercolor Landscapes

Okavango Palms

Okavango Palms, watercolor 20×16″ by Alison Nicholls

Ant eating chats

Anteating Chats in the Kalahari, watercolor 24×30″ by Alison Nicholls

Khutse Sparrow Weavers

Khutse Sparrow Weavers, watercolor 24×30″ by Alison Nicholls

I have been nominated to take part in a Facebook Art Challenge by my friend and fellow artist Karryl, who creates wonderful whimsical animal sculptures. Thank you, Karryl! The challenge is to post 3 images of my art every day for 5 days, each day nominating a new artist to take part in the challenge. Although this is a Facebook challenge, I decided to post the same pieces to my blog. And, like many other artists who are taking part in the challenge, I’ve decided to use these posts to show you my artistic journey, showing artwork from different years to illustrate how my style developed over time.

I really began to paint when I moved to Africa. Since childhood I’d really only been interested in drawing landscapes. Drawing is still very important for me and watercolor allowed me to combine drawing with color. Having not studied art, I had no exposure to other media, so I stuck with the only media I knew. These pieces were probably completed between 2000-2003 At the time I really wasn’t keeping good records, or taking particularly good photos of my work. And, as you can see, my watercolors were quite detailed and realistic. These were no doubt completed from photos, but already I can see the use of a limited palette of colors in each piece, a careful composition and an element of space, features which still exist in my work today.

Tomorrow, I’ll be posting the next set of images – Wildlife in Detail.

And the next artist I’d like to nominate for the challenge is Asher Jay. She visited my studio in the summer and we had a great day talking about art and conservation. You may already have seen her work. If not, watch her posts, she has some great images to share!

Until tomorrow…
Alison

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Atka the Arctic Wolf studies my Art

Wolf-Approved Art by Alison Nicholls

Atka the Arctic Wolf studies my Art

Atka the Arctic Wolf studies my Art

Last night I and my artwork attended Wine & Wolves, the annual benefit for the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem. Atka the ambassador Arctic wolf made an appearance and decided my art was worth a closer look!

If you would like to see more of the art that Atka approved of, you can check it out on my website: www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com. Don’t forget to take a look at my Seasonal Offers which are available until the end of December.

Learn more about the Wolf Conservation Center.

Until next time…
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Watering the Cattle, field sketch 11x14" by Alison Nicholls

Watering the Cattle, Tanzania Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

Watering the Cattle, field sketch 11x14" by Alison Nicholls

Watering the Cattle, watercolor field sketch 11×14″ by Alison Nicholls

“Cattle drank in lines at the trough then ambled away to graze; Maasai men leant against their sticks in the shade of the trees; donkeys, often fully loaded with water, stopped for a drink before heading home (often with no owner in sight); men flew past on bicycles down to the stream, filled their water containers then slowly pushed their bicycles back up the hill; children herded goats and sheep and stopped to stare (if they were brave they would come to see my sketch then talk and laugh as they left); whistles, shouts and cow bellows floated out across the karongo (stream).”   An excerpt from my Journal, June 11 2014, during my latest visit to the African People & Wildlife Fund in Tanzania.

See more of my African Field Sketches, all of which are available for sale with a donation to African conservation. I also have a number of Seasonal Offers available until the end of December.
Learn more about the African People & Wildlife Fund in Tanzania.

Until next time…
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Celebration Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

Celebration Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

This sketch does not feature your typical US Thanksgiving Day celebration!
In fact it is a sketch of Maasai men dancing at a wedding in Tanzania.

But all around the world, people everywhere celebrate important events. So I would like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving by sharing this sketch with you, from a celebration of a different kind that I was lucky enough to attend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Yes, it is still that time of year!
So here are my Seasonal Offers #4 and #5.
(You can find #1, #2 & #3 in my previous post here)
My usual donations to African conservation organizations apply to all purchases. Browse or graze your way through my offers then find one that works for you!
Surprise Gift with Every Original by Alison NichollsBuy any Original Painting or Field Sketch and you will receive a special Surprise Gift from me (I’m not giving any clues)! My usual donations to conservation organizations apply. Offer expires 12/31/2014. Free Shipping Offer also applies (see below).

 

3 prints for 300 by Alison Nicholls

Buy any three 11×14″ Limited Edition Reproductions and pay only US$300. Although you are receiving a discount, my donations to African conservation will be made as if you have paid the full price. This offer will expire after 10 buyers have redeemed the offer or on 12/31/2014. Free Shipping Offer also applies (see below).

Free Shipping by Alison Nicholls

Free Shipping on all artwork mailed to a destination within the lower 48 states of the United States. Half-price shipping on all artwork mailed elsewhere, including Internationally. Combine this offer with any of the other offers shown below! Offer expires 12/31/2014. My Last Shipping Date will be Wednesday December 17 (with guaranteed delivery within the US by December 24).

Thank You for spending time browsing or grazing!
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Yes, it is that time of year again!
So here are my Seasonal Offers #1, #2 and #3.
Later this week I will reveal offers #4 and #5.
So enjoy the start of the silly season and remember, if you purchase from me you are helping to support African conservation organizations, as well as me!

3 prints for 150 by Alison Nicholls

Buy any three 8×10″ Limited Edition Reproductions and pay only US$150.  Although you are receiving a discount, my donations to African conservation will be made as if you have paid the full price. This offer will expire after 10 buyers have redeemed the offer or on 12/31/2014. Free Shipping Offer also applies. Free Shipping by Alison NichollsFree Shipping on all artwork mailed to a destination within the lower 48 states of the United States. Half-price shipping on all artwork mailed elsewhere, including international shipments. Offer expires 12/31/2014. My Last Shipping Date will be Wednesday December 17 (with guaranteed delivery within the US by December 24).

Gift Certificates by Alison Nicholls

The perfect choice if you want to give a gift of art but are not sure which piece would be most  appreciated. Delivery of Gift Certificates is free whether they are mailed or delivered online to the recipient. Choose your design from my artwork, write a personal message and choose a value from $60 upwards. The Free Shipping Offer will remain in effect until the end of 2015 for those redeeming Gift Certificates. My usual donations to conservation organizations apply when Gift Certificates are redeemed.

Thank You!
More Offers on Friday…
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Artist Alison Nicholls

I begin my daily art marathon…

These tweets by David Sandum and Jo Parry inspired today’s post:

https://twitter.com/JO_PARRY_TWEETS/status/500793096033275904

They got me thinking that being an artist is like being a marathon runner. In the spirit of full disclosure I should mention that my experience as a marathon runner consists of watching the New York Marathon on TV every year and then checking on the training progress of my neighbors, several of whom are horrifyingly active and have run the real thing! So, with my mountain of personal experience now laid bare, here is how I think being an artist compares with being a marathon runner.

Before attempting to run a marathon it is best to put in a little training (!), hours and hours of training, a lot of it alone, pounding the streets, building your stamina and strength. As an artist you also need training, years of it, learning about your materials and building your skills, with much time spent alone, developing your style and work habits.

Then comes the marathon. The first few miles are plain sailing, with the crowd lifting your spirits and your legs feeling strong but then, later in the race, psychology is all important. At some point it is just about you, your legs and your mental strength. Sometimes it is only mental strength that actually keeps those legs moving, despite the persistent voice in your head telling you how tired you are and how you could hop in a cab. Once again, there are comparisons with the life of an artist. We also have that persistent voice in our head, telling us how mediocre our work is and how much better and more successful other artists are. But unlike the marathon, where people line the course to encourage you, as an artist you sometimes feel like the entire world has lined up to encourage you to quit. It’s ironic that most people consider artists to be sensitive types and yet we have to develop a very thick skin in order to deal with the rejection we experience on a fairly regular basis –  from competitions we fail to be accepted for, grants we fail to receive or galleries who don’t want to represent us. Most marathon runners don’t enter with the plan to win the race. they enter with the plan to finish the race, and if they are a sucker for punishment, they enter to improve on last years’ time. Artists need to think the same way. It is the constant progression of your own career that matters, not how you compare to other artists and their careers. Easier said than done, I know!

But there is one major difference between art and marathon running. In art there is no finish line. At the end of my daily art marathon, no-one has ever cheered, held up a placard with an encouraging message or wrapped me in a nice shiny blanket!

But wait…there is one more similarity. Marathon runners speak of a running ‘high’, a zone in which pain disappears and the joy of running is everything. Artists feel that too. It is what you aim for and hope for and can’t describe. It is addictive. If it wasn’t, why on earth would I run an art marathon every day?

Ready? Set. Paint!

Until next time…
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Nicholls Wildlife Art

5pm acrylic on canvas 11x14 by Alison Nicholls

5pm acrylic on canvas 11×14 by Alison Nicholls

Many of my paintings make use of effects of light, but I rarely include the source (sun or moon) in my work. So 5pm, above, is a little different. I will definitely be adding the shimmering sun into more of my work as it allows me to leave the animal subjects a little less defined, something I always enjoy. Interestingly, the best way to paint a really bright sun is to leave it white and surround it with pale lemon yellow. I’m using Fredrix watercolor canvas, which is bright white, so the sun is just the natural color of the canvas.

The title of the piece comes from the time of day and the fact that in the dry season the sun retains its heat until the last possible moment.

Until next time
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Lions sketch demo by Alison Nicholls

Lions sketch demo by Alison Nicholls

In my latest blog post for Africa Geographic, I showed how I create a pencil field sketch. When I’m sketching in the African bush I don’t have time to photograph the stages of my pencil sketches because I need to finish them before the people or animals I’m sketching move away. I sketch using very faint lines, which will become almost invisible when I add watercolor, but these lines are very difficult to photograph outdoors. I also work without an easel, constantly moving around to find different subjects, all of which makes it difficult to document my technique as I’m sketching. So I recreated a sketch in the studio, using pen instead of pencil.

You can read more and see the stages of the pencil sketch here.
See my other posts in the Africa Geographic Art of Africa blog series.

Until next time
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Nicholls Wildlife Art

Leopard photo by Nigel Nicholls

Leopard photo by Nigel Nicholls © 2013

In the last few weeks, almost every person I’ve met has asked me this question:

“Will you be going back to Africa while there is still an Ebola outbreak?”

In answering the question with a resounding “Yes”, I have tried to explain the size of the African continent and the huge distance between West Africa, where the Ebola outbreak exists, and the safari destinations of East and Southern Africa. As the crow flies, London is actually closer to West Africa than Nairobi in Kenya! It is very easy to find alarmist reports in the media wherever you are in the world and the other day I received an email from a friend in South Africa who was concerned about my husband traveling into New York City for work because she had heard of the healthcare worker here who had been infected while working in West Africa!

Tourism is vital to the economies of many African countries and plays a large part in ensuring the continued existence of wildlife and wild lands. If you value this and want to help both the people and wildlife of Africa, please think very carefully before canceling your travel plans to the continent. Consult your travel agent by all means, but remember that the main safari destinations of East and southern Africa are literally thousands of miles away from the outbreak in West Africa.

Before I end I do want to say that Ebola is a terrible disease and my thoughts are with the people of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea who are caught in this outbreak. The dedicated healthcare workers from these and other countries are heroes and should be treated as such. I hope that the outbreak can be controlled quickly without the loss of more life.

Until next time
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Nicholls Wildlife Art

5pm acrylic on canvas 11x14 by Alison Nicholls

5pm                                             acrylic on canvas 11×14 by Alison Nicholls

If the random words in the title are of interest to you, come join me in Vermont for my next Art exhibit, featuring my sketches and paintings inspired by my visits to the African People & Wildlife Fund (APW) in Tanzania. APW is a Conservation organization which works to conserve species like the Lion, by working with local communities.

My exhibit is at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, Vermont. The reception is 2 – 4pm on Saturday November 1 and my talk is on Sunday November 2, also at 2pm.

I hope you will join me. and I promise to speak in full sentences!

Learn more about the African People & Wildlife Fund

Until next time…
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Expressions watercolor by Alison Nicholls on Dogs In the Daylight album by Jeffrey Martin

Expressions watercolor by Alison Nicholls on Dogs In the Daylight album by Jeffrey Martin

My music career goes back decades. It started when I attended a new elementary school where the children had already learned to play the recorder. I was given a recorder and told by the teacher to ‘join in when I felt able’. Needless to say, I never played a note. And that’s where it all ended for me. The world should be grateful.

However, the world should be equally grateful that Jeffrey Martin did pursue his music career. I’m thrilled that my painting Expressions, showing 2 African wild dogs, is on the cover of his album, Dogs In the Daylight. I am not a music critic but I love it. Here’s what James Carlson of Roots Music Examiner had to say:

“I am sure I won’t be alone in my assertion that Dogs in the Daylight is as close to a masterpiece as a folk album by an emerging singer-songwriter can get.”

Quite a review I’d say. So take a listen and prepare to be a fan!


http://www.glidemagazine.com/121982/song-premiere-jeffrey-martin-dogs-daylight/

Check out Jeffrey Martin’s Website

Until next time…
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Nicholls Wildlife Art

Lake Mist, South Salem New York by Alison Nicholls

Lake Mist, South Salem, New York by Alison Nicholls

On Sunday I was heading up to South Salem to teach a sketching session at the Wolf Conservation Center when I ran into a bank of fog. I couldn’t see a lake I knew was only feet from the road, but I was on the off ramp of an Interstate so I decided it wouldn’t be a good place to pull over. A little further up the road the fog lifted and another lake came into view so I stopped to take this photo, above.

Walking back to my car I looked up and saw that it was one of those mornings when even the power cables are worth a photo – glistening like strands of a rather large cobweb. I wouldn’t like to see the spider that built this!

Cable Lights by Alison Nicholls

Cable Lights by Alison Nicholls

Surrounded by the spectacular colors of fall, I arrived at the Wolf Conservation Center with a big grin on my face. What a way to start the day!

Until next time…
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
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Fall foliage by Alison Nicholls

Fall Foliage photo by Alison Nicholls

Alison Nicholls 'leaf-peeping' in Vermont

Alison Nicholls ‘leaf-peeping’ in Vermont

I was in Vermont last weekend with my parents who were visiting from England. Here are some images I took during the weekend. Despite the fact that these were taken in New England (there’s a joke in there somewhere), you’ll notice that these very colors appear in many of my African paintings.

Fall foliage by Alison Nicholls

Fall foliage by Alison Nicholls

On the way home I was creating, in my mind’s eye, my next African inspired artwork, with perhaps more than a little inspiration from these lovely Fall colors!

Fall foliage by Alison Nicholls

Fall foliage by Alison Nicholls

Until next time…
Alison

Art Inspired by Africa and Conservation
Visit my Website
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Nicholls Wildlife Art