Tag Archives: Painted Dog Research Trust

Boraro – Painted Dogs

Boraro means ‘three’ in Setswana, the main language spoken in Botswana. My painting compositions often contain 3 animals because somehow it just works (more about this in my next post “Three is not a Crowd”).

Boraro, painted dogs by Alison Nicholls

A couple of days after I signed this painting, I decided it wasn’t finished. So I added an extra wash of quinacridone gold over the existing gold stripe at the top and, on a whim while I had the brush full of color in my hand, I added shadows beneath the dogs. Even as I painted, I realized the shadows could also be reflections, as if the dogs are standing on wet sand.
Which do you see – shadows or reflections?

My newsletter readers always get to see my art first and this painting was sold as soon as I put it in my July email newsletter. I am donating 25% of the purchase price to Painted Dog Research Trust in Zimbabwe.

Painted dogs greeting card by Alison Nicholls

Boraro – Painted Dogs – was inspired by the greeting card above. Since the start of the pandemic I’ve been painting greeting cards and sending them out to my newsletter readers and Art Safari guests. I paint several greeting card backgrounds at one time, so each set tends to have its own distinct look. Some have traditional washes as backgrounds, some have zig zag lines, some have circular motifs and some, like this one, start with horizontal lines. After the backgrounds are dry I use watercolor and/or ink to add animals, or occasionally people or trees. The cards have been fun to create and have allowed me to experiment, so you can expect to see more greeting card-inspired paintings in the future!

To receive my newsletters and see all my new art before it appears online, just click here. If you add your mailing address you’ll also receive one of my original watercolor greeting cards.

If you’re already a newsletter reader – Thank You! – but if you’re not sure whether I have your mailing address, you can click the Update Profile link at the end of any of my newsletters to find out. Or you can send me an email and just include your mailing address.

Read the other 2 posts in this series:
Three Painted Dogs is not a Crowd
Three is a Crowd-Pleaser.

Stay well
Alison

Learn more about Painted Dog Research Trust in Zimbabwe.
Visit my website: www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica

Endangered Species Day Donations

Today is Endangered Species Day. This is not a day we should need on our calendars, but unfortunately it comes around every year, with more and more species falling into the ‘endangered’ bracket.

Restful Field Sketch – 8×10″ original watercolor on paper, unframed, US$200. A donation of US$70 will be made to Cheetah Conservation Botswana from this sale.

We hear about the plight of charismatic species like lions, cheetahs and painted dogs, but habitat loss, the bushmeat trade, the pet trade and human-wildlife conflict are pushing a huge percentage of our Earth’s species towards ‘endangered’ status. It is downright depressing.

Lioness and Cubs Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls ©2016

Lioness & Cubs Field Sketch – 11×14″ original watercolor on paper, unframed, US$300. A donation of US$105 will be made to African People & Wildlife in Tanzania from this sale.

So what can we do?
A lot.

Dog Pack Field Sketch © Alison Nicholls 2015

Painted Dogs in the Morning Field Sketch – 11×14″ original watercolor on paper, unframed, US$300. A donation of US$105 will be made to Painted Dog Research Trust in Zimbabwe from this sale.

Get involved, particularly in your own local area. Make sure your local politicians know how important the environment is to you. Stand against destructive development projects and stand up for sustainable long-term solutions. Protect invaluable wetlands, forests, plains and wild places, not just because they are beautiful and provide necessary habitat for numerous species, but because they provide us with recreation and employment opportunities, and because they are essential to our own well-being.

Elephants in Brown Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls ©2016

Elephants in Brown Field Sketch – 11×14″ original watercolor on paper, unframed, US$300. A donation of US$105 will be made to African People & Wildlife in Tanzania from this sale.

It is not eliteist to stand up for our stunning planet and its inhabitants. It is absolutely necessary.

Cheetah Trio Field Sketch © Alison Nicholls

Cheetah Trio Field Sketch – 11×14″ limited edition reproduction, printed on watercolor paper, unframed, 25 copies only, US$120 each. A donation of US$36 will be made to Cheetah Conservation Botswana from this sale.

And if donating to African conservation organizations is important to you, you can take a look at some of my work and know that for today, and throughout the weekend, I will be making large donations from any sale. I will also be offering free shipping within the continental US and half-price shipping elsewhere in the world.
Lets make Endangered Species Day unnecessary.
Thank you.
Alison

Alison Nicholls
alison@artinspiredbyafrica.com

What Does Endangered Look Like?

Endangered looks like this…

photo by Nigel Nicholls

And this…

photo by Nigel Nicholls

and this…

photo by Nigel Nicholls

Endangered is losing 99% of your population in just over 100 years…

photo by Nigel Nicholls

And no longer being found in 25 of the 39 African countries you once roamed…

photo by Nigel Nicholls

The Painted Dog (also known as the African wild dog) is endangered.
Approximately 500,000 of these never-domesticated wild canids existed around 1900. Today there are closer to 5,000. But the strength of these dogs is in their pack. They live and hunt together. They feed their sick. They share their food. They all care for the pack’s pups. One for all and all for one!

Humans have pushed them to the edge of extinction by pushing them out of their natural habitat and reducing their natural prey, by killing them as vermin, accidentally catching them in snares meant for other species and killing them on roads. But we can help them too. The Painted Dog Research Trust (PDRT) works in Zimbabwe, one of the last strongholds of the dogs, to conserve them using science & education.

photo by Nigel Nicholls

You can help too!

Join Dr Gregory Rasmussen from PDRT at the Rye Arts Center on March 17 from 7.30-10pm. Learn about the amazing social life of the dogs, hear their strange calls, sip South African wines, try tasty hors d’oeuvres and see arts and crafts of Africa. Your entire $50 admission fee will be donated to PRDT to fund anti-poaching patrols, research and other vital programs.
Please RSVP to me. If you cannot attend please consider making a donation. Drop me an email and I’ll tell you how.
Thank you!

Alison Nicholls
alison@artinspiredbyafrica.com

Start the Weekend with Chittering Dogs!

Start the weekend with chittering painted dogs!

Join me to hear Dr Greg Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Research Trust talk about the unique, endangered and beautiful Painted Dog (African wild dog). Dr Rasmussen will talk about the years he has spent with painted dogs and the challenges facing them, particularly in Zimbabwe.

Painted dog, photo by Alison Nicholls

I recently spent time with Dr Rasmussen in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe, and we were fortunate to see 2 different dog packs, including 1 successfully hunting impala. Sketching painted dogs on a kill is not something you get to do everyday! And then we were able to visit the remains of the kill and watch Dr Rasmussen take bone marrow samples from the legs of the impala. (Obviously these dogs were fairly well-fed, as often there is barely a scrap left after they have finished eating, let alone enough to take bone marrow samples from front and rear legs!)

Sitting around the campfire we listened to spotted hyenas, watched for elephants in the dark next to our tents, and heard more from Dr Rasmussen about life as a painted dog conservationist. It was an experience not to missed. And I urge you not to miss this opportunity to hear him speak about his life and work with painted dogs!

So join me on Saturday (and you’ll also have a chance to win a limited edition field sketch of painted dogs from my last visit to southern Africa)!
Alison

Lecture with Dr G Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Research Trust.
Where: Wolf Conservation Center, South Salem, NY
When: Saturday Feb 20 at 6pm.
Cost: $20 per person ($10 for PDRT, $10 for WCC)
What Else? Registration required. Click here.

Painted Dogs AND Wolves – 1 Night Only!

Dr Greg Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Research Trust in Zimbabwe will be speaking at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY, about the challenges faced by painted dogs (African wild dogs) and how research can help conserve the species. After the lecture you will be able to see more charismatic canids in the shape of the resident gray wolves at WCC.

A painted dog (African wild dog) and an Arctic wolf.

I recently spent some time with Dr Rasmussen in Mana Pools and I can promise you this evening will be a fascinating one. You will also have a chance to win a framed copy of one of my recent painted dog field sketches, valued at $140, which I am donating for the evening.

Painted Dog Pack At Rest Field Sketch by Alison Nicholls

So join me for this fun, informative and inspiring evening!
Alison

Saturday February 20, 2016 from 6-8pm.
Wolf Conservation Center, South Salem.
Registration is required as seating is limited. Price $20 per person.
50% of proceeds will be donated to PDRT and 50% to WCC.

www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Caption Competition!

An informal moment from my recent visit to Mana Pools with Dr Gregory Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Research Trust.

Alison Nicholls and Greg Rasmussen, Mana Pools 2015

I think this image deserves a caption competition.
So…any ideas what is happening here…or any great captions….
I’m all ears…

Until next time
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

African Wildlife Sketch #16 – Crashed – Painted Dogs by Alison Nicholls

As you probably know, Painted Dogs (African wild dogs) are highly social. They rarely fight, even over food (unlike most other predators), and will regurgitate food for sick and injured adults in their pack. During my recent travels in southern Africa I saw 4 different packs, and that included a lot of pups. Every time they finished playing they would all flop down together, in a pile. There were heads on backs, feet on heads, tails in faces and ears everywhere – a perfect expression of their highly developed social nature, and a perfect painting composition!

Crashed Field Sketch © Alison Nicholls 2015

Crashed field sketch, Painted dogs, African wild dogs, in watercolor by Alison Nicholls

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.

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, 14×11″, all signed and numbered by me.

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

Until Nov 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, or see them here 1 day later.

Wherever and whenever you see them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
Tomorrow’s sketch is of browsing elephants.
Until then…
Alison
www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com

Dogs & Cats Leaving Home!

Last month I was fortunate to have work accepted into the annual exhibitions of 2 organizations – the Society of Animal Artists and Artists For Conservation. Being a Signature member of both of these organizations is an achievement I am proud of. They give me access to a vast fellowship of artists, who work in every medium imaginable, and whose subject matter covers every continent, and the oceans and seas that divide them.

The 55^th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Animal Artists will be on display from August 28 – October 25, 2015, at The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History in Jamestown, New York. Look out for my painting of African wild dogs, Moonrise, if you are able to visit the exhibition. A donation will be made to the Painted Dog Research Trust from the sale of this painting.

Leopard in Magenta, painting by Alison Nicholls

The Artists For Conservation Annual Exhibition will be in Vancouver, Canada. From Sept 10 – 12, 2015, it can be seen at the Fairmont Waterfront and from Sept 19 – 30 at Grouse Mountain in North Vancouver. At this exhibition, look out for my acrylic titled Leopard Dreaming. A donation will be made to Panthera from the sale of this painting.

Selections of artwork from both the SAA and AFC exhibitions will be part of touring exhibits, so you may have a chance to see them in various states of the US. If my pieces are selected for the tours, I will post the details. I have my fingers crossed..!

Until next time…
Take care
Alison

Learn more about:
Artists For Conservation
The Society of Animal Artists
Painted Dog Research Trust
Panthera

Canids, Canids, Canids…!

All the chatter this week has been about canids.
Yes, canids.
Not canines – they are teeth!

First, I met with Dr Gregory Rasmussen of the Painted Dog Research Trust, hearing about his plans for PDRT, seeing a slide presentation then, just today, listening to a webinar he gave for the Africa Biodiversity Collaborative Group.

Painted Dog, Zimbabwe

Secondly, I do of course have my very own canid at home. A German Shepherd called Chase (he’s well named).

My German Shepherd dog, Chase

And tomorrow I’ll be stomping around in the snow and the cold with the wolves up at the Wolf Conservation Center. More of that on Friday!

Atka, the Arctic wolf

But despite all the canid connections, I’m working on a leopard painting right now…
More of that soon too!

Until next time…
Alison

www.ArtInspiredbyAfrica.com
I make a donation to African conservation from every sale.