On this page you'll find information on all the latest news, art works and exhibitions.
The two pieces of Art I entered in to Marwell International Wildlife Art Society's annual exhibition have both won prizes. My Egret won "Best Bird" and the Baboon was runner up in the "Best non British Wildlife" category. I'd just like to thank all of the selection panel for being so generous. I was so thrilled to discover that I'd been awarded these amazing prizes and collecting the prizes was one of the best moments in my career, even if I was a bit overawed by the whole thing!
My work has now been entered in to 3 exhibitions. The first is the Society of Feline Artists (SOFA) at the Llewellyn Alexander Gallery in London on now from the 27th of August to the 17th of September 2010. The Second is the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) , I'll be finding out soon if my work has been accepted. And last but definitely not least is Marwell. I Also have a stall here over the Bank Holiday weekend so please come along and see me.
In preparation for the raft of upcoming exhibitions I have completed 2 new pieces. One is of a Vervet Monkey we saw when we were down at the Dartmoor Zoo Wildlife exhibition. The other is an Egret from Brazil. Both are done in mixed media and have been entered in to Marwell and the SWLA respectively.
I've been lucky enough to win two awards at the Dartmoor Zoological Park wildlife art competition. The paintings that won the awards are on the left. The Protective Swan won the best British Wildlife category and the Nuithatch won the Best Bird category. Pip McGarry was the chief judge, so I owe him some thanks!
I'm on my way to Dartmoor Zoological Park in order to drop off 3 pieces for their first Wildlife Art Exhibition. It's been set up in conjunction with Pip McGarry who also runs the Marwell International Wildlife Art Society. Click on the link to check out the details.
Preparation for the next piece is underway and I've chosen an Egret we saw in Brazil. It's the light in this image that really brings it alive for me. Let's hope that I can capture it in the final art work! You can see my first preparatory drawing here.
In a trip down memory lane, I have finally painted a kingfisher, my first one for 30 years! It's also a return to an old style, as it features water colours, a medium I've not used for about 10 years. Thinking about it, and the number of anniversaries featured here, it was right to do it now, although, I doubt I'll do too many more pieces like this.
I'd just like to mention Brown's Fine Art. I popped in there to look in to getting some prints done and they were extremely friendly and very good. Helen Brown is herself an extremely good Wildlife artist. Click the link to find out.
A much easier experience than the Cheetah below, the finished baboon probably marks the end of my work inspired by Kenya, at least for the time being. The 4 painting I've done in all, have marked a real change in direction for me, and some real progress, I hope. I still feel I have such a huge amount to learn, I wonder if I'll ever get there!
After a large number of hours working, the Cheetah has finally been finished. It wasn't easy, but I finally got there. Not the simplest of processes as it took a great deal of experimenting until I was happy with this one. All in all, it took over 100 hours.
I've been accepted into the Marwell International Wildlife Art Society. A group that was founded by the very successful artist Pip McGarry about 11 years ago. My good fried Wendy Warren is also a member. As a result, a couple of my pieces will be in their annual exhibition which is coming up in August. More details to follow.
28 February 2009
The lastest piece, a small painting of the very large European Eagle Owl, has just been completed. Carrying on with the same style first seen with the Masai Lion and Lioness, this piece was inspired by an Eagle Owl I spent a lot of time with quite a few years ago at the International Centre for Birds of Prey in Newent.
The Orang Utan Husbandry organisation recently held an event at Saint Louis Zoo. They also held a charity auction and I was priveledged enough to be asked to donate some artwork to the auction. I donated 2 pieces, the one shown here was done specially for the event and raised $250 for the Kinabatangan Orangutan Conservation Project.
13 August 2008
Two new pieces have just been completed, both are inspired by my trip to Kenya, a truely amazing trip that surpassed expectations.
Two new pieces have just been completed, both are inspired by my trip to Kenya, a truely amazing trip that surpassed expectations.
12 Apr 2008
If you can, get along to the Turner Sims concert hall, where there is a small exhibition of my work. Click on the link to find out all details of the venue. It's in the grounds of Southampton University and has some great shows. This exhibition has been on the cards for a number of months now and I'm really pleased with the outcome. If you've seen the exhibition and have any comments please let me know your thoughts at nic@nicbaker.com
The last piece to be improved is this Bald Eagle. This was my very first attempt at painting straight on to unprimed canvas and was only partially successful. therefore it has changed considerably.
Continuing updating work, I turned my attentions to this second experiment with painting straight on to unprimed canvas. It didn't need all that much doing to it. I simply rounded things off by increasing the intensity of the highlights and cut the canvas down a bit to make it more dramatic.
This Pileated Gibbon required quite a lot of work. I used ink and water to increase the depth of the piece and create a better atmosphere.
The next piece to be updated is the Spotted Orchid (another college piece). All that will be required for this is to get it framed.
As a result of the upcoming Hawthorns exhibition, I need more artwork. Therefore I have started bringing a number of old pieces up to standard. The first of these is the Oak Forest piece I did in College back in 1996. It was chosen by the Scottish Forestry Commission to be used as a poster for an advertising campaign.
The next piece in preparation for the exhibition in Hawthorns is complete. A predominantly pencil work with a dash of watercolour. We've been lucky enough to have this juvenile with us regularly since it hatched, as you can see, it is starting to acquire its adult plumage. As ever let me know what you think by e-mailing at nic@nicbaker.com
After more changes than a Chameleon crossing a patchwork quilt, the Nuthatch is finally finished. It feels good to get there and I'm more than pleased with the results. I started with a much larger piece but when it was nearing completion I realised the rest was a waste, so cut it right down.
21 October 2006
I attended a meeting today with Hilary Bradley, the manager of the Hawthorns Wildlife Centre. Hilary contacted me to see if I was interested in having an exhibition in Hawthorns... more
I attended a meeting today with Hilary Bradley, the manager of the Hawthorns Wildlife Centre. Hilary contacted me to see if I was interested in having an exhibition in Hawthorns... more
I've just heard that both paintings in the Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition have now sold. This is great news beyond anything I could have hoped for. To get work accepted was fantastic but to then sell out is just increadible. The latest piece to sell was the Swallow-tailed Moth pictured on the left.
I attended the first day of The Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition yesterday, opened by Ben Fogle (pictured). I had two pieces in the exhibition and one of them sold within an hour, I couldn't believe it... more
The next piece has been started. Its of a Nuthatch that we were lucky enough to have in our garden. The plan is to update the web page regularly with the work in progress... more
Click on the images to the left to see the 2 artworks accepted.
24 August 2006
I've just heard that 2 pieces have been accepted in to the Society of Wildlife Artists 42nd Annual Exhibition. I'm extremely pleased but also a bit surprised at the selections... more
I've just heard that 2 pieces have been accepted in to the Society of Wildlife Artists 42nd Annual Exhibition. I'm extremely pleased but also a bit surprised at the selections... more
19 August 2006
I've just entered 6 of my best works in to the Sociaty of Wildlife artists annual exhibition... more
31 July 2006
The latest piece of work to be finished is the Northern Hawk owl. A slight departure from my usual stlye... more
The latest piece of work to be finished is the Northern Hawk owl. A slight departure from my usual stlye... more