David Shepherd, Walking with Giants by Gladwell & Patterson

David Shepherd Walking With Giants

Walking With Giants “What more could an artist wish for but to repay my debt to the animals I painted.” David Shepherd CBE 1931 – 2017 David Shepherd is considered to be one of the finest wildlife artists of the last 100 years. Davidís distinctive style stems from a personal attachment with the animals of Kenya. As a boy, he dreamt of becoming a game warden to no avail, and was fortunate when his early artistic career as an aviation artist led to a commission from the RAF in 1960. On consignment in Kenya, inspired by the animals that he encountered, he painted his first wildlife painting which would change the course of his career; a rhinoceros chasing a Twin Pioneer aeroplane, capturing two of his great passions. In the following years, David’s popularity grew and he quickly became the celebrated artist and conservationist for which he is remembered today. Throughout his career David was inspired to protect the elephants, tigers and other animals that he depicted with such delight. His subjects were painted with dignity and grandeur and his compositions allowed them to take centre stage amongst the breathtaking scenery of his beloved Africa. David’s technique of combining photorealism with his broad impressionist style and his impeccably accurate palette, instantly strikes a chord with the viewer, but above all it is his love of the animals that shines through in his paintings creating an instant empathy for them with his audience. Gladwell & Patterson have long championed David’s artistic and charitable work. Our 270 year old gallery has been privileged to display David’s superb paintings over the decades and we are delighted to present this, the second retrospective exhibition of his work.

White Oak Conservation is a one-of-a-kind centre in Florida for the conservation and care of endangered and threatened species, including rhinoceros and cheetahs. Its mission is to conserve rare species and wild places around the world. Efforts include improving the quality of life of individual animals, recovering rare species, restoring ecosystems, and protecting wilderness areas. White Oak Conservation works in partnership with conservation organisations, governments and agencies, to bring the necessary funding to achieve meaningful and lasting results. Gladwell & Patterson hope David’s rich artistic heritage will raise awareness and funds for White Oak Conservation’s continuing vital efforts. Instantly recognisable, David’s exquisite paintings strike a cord in their ability to recall the majesty of his precious subjects which demand so much care and attention in this ever changing world we live in today.

Indian Rhino and Water Buffalo Study

Oil on Canvas 51 x 86 cms / 20” x 34” £45,000

Black Rhino

Oil on Canvas 71 x 112 cms / 28” x 44” £95,000

Giant Elms Oil on Canvas 56 x 91 cms / 22” x 36” £15,000

Elephants in the Bush, Luangwa Valley Painted in 1997

Oil on Canvas 62 x 112 cms / 24” x 44” £110,000

Three’s a Crowd Painted in 1978

Oil on Canvas 20 x 40.5 cms / 8” x 16” £15,000 9

Gladwell & Patterson are delighted to partnership with White Oak Conservation, a pioneering organisation that is at the forefront in the conservation and care of endangered and threatened species, including rhinoceros and cheetahs. Their mission is to save endangered species and wild places. White Oak manages and support proprietary programs that work to directly save critical populations of endangered species, we support and participate in programs that protect rare species generally; we restore species to wild land when possible; we improve the lives of individual animals and we promote conservation and a love of wildlife through awareness and education. Humans are causing catastrophic declines of wildlife worldwide. Humans must take responsibility for our actions and take steps to reduce the damage we cause. This includes ensuring the survival of rare species, protecting wild places and developing a culture of conservation. White Oak Conservation is Walter Conservation’s one-of-akind centre in northeastern Florida, established in 1982 for the conservation and propagation of threatened and endangered

species. In recent years White Oak has expanded to seventeenthousand acres dedicated to the conservation and care of assurance populations for species including rhinoceros, okapi, bongos, Dama gazelles and cheetahs. In the United States, White Oak partners with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on species recovery and release efforts for Florida panthers, Florida grasshopper sparrows, Mississippi sandhill cranes and whooping cranes. White Oak has also returned American-born bongo, black rhino and roan to Africa, and is working towards restoring other rare species to their native countries. White Oak is home to a team of conservationists, scientists and veterinarians with decades of experience in their respective fields. We work in partnership with conservation organizations, governments and agencies, and bring the necessary funding to achieve meaningful and lasting results. Through White Oak, Walter Conservation is eager to bring education and awareness to the next generation of conservationists using its world-class educational and training programs, in person and remotely. In 2019, more than 1,600 students visited White Oak and participated in education programming. www.whiteoakwildlife.org/support-white-oak/

The Threatening Bull Painted in 1979 Oil on Canvas 49 x 98 cms / 19.25” x 38.5” £85,000

Three Buffalo Painted in 1997 Oil on Canvas 25 x 41 cms / 10” x 16” £23,000

Rhinos Painted in 1997 Oil on Canvas 25 x 41 cms / 10” x 16” £23,000

Hippos Painted in 1997

Oil on Canvas 25 x 42 cms / 10” x 16” £23,000

Eland Painted in 1967 Oil on Canvas 51 x 76 cms / 20” x 30” £39,500

The Art Of David Shepherd Much of the enduring attraction of Shepherd’s work comes from its optical qualities. David captured the way that the human eye focuses on the presence of megafauna in the way that the camera simply cannot, establishing the unique value of his art even in a period when wildlife photography has become increasingly popular. Shepherd, through a matrix of painterly strokes of earthy pigments, is able to convey the physicality of the savannah and scrub in which his subjects are located. His elephants, rhinos and tigers emerge from a richly textured setting, delineated in sharp detail out of an almost impressionistic backdrop. Thus, the best Shepherd paintings often convey the moment at which the viewer first spots an animal in the wild, the eye quickly focusing in on its majestic presence. While the conservation and protection of animals has always loomed large in the discussion around Shepherd, it is important to recognise that his paintings have proved immensely successful precisely because they don’t memorialise and calcify their animal subjects. For an artist who often chooses to depict still animals, Shepherd’s works brim with an impressive life. His subjects invariably meet the eye of the gaze, even when depicted at some distance, immediately establishing a connection with a very real and conscious creature.

Avril with Pushmi the Rhino

One senses in Shepherd’s behaviour and views the same anthropomorphising of animals that he so expertly conveys in his work. The artist would often seek out the same subject multiple times because he felt he had a bond with the animal, a process most apparent in the time he spent in Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park, alongside his close conservationist friends David and Daphne Sheldrick (the latter would become a Dame for her work protecting animals). The elephant that features most regularly in Shepherd’s work was fully grown cow named Eleanor. Shepherd would return to Tsavo on multiple occasions to spend time with the elephants of the park, most of whom were orphaned by poachers and growing up under the protective care of Eleanor, one of the few adults left in the park. Shepherd described her as ‘the most remarkable animal I have ever been privileged to know, and I believe she is very largely responsible for my David with Eleanor deep and passionate love for these marvellous and gentle giants’. Alongside Eleanor, David formed close attachments to the other inhabitants of Tsavo, from Stroppy (a rhino) to Jimmy (a kudu) and Punda (a zebra), even going so far as to help give these animals mudbaths. The bond Shepherd felt with these animals clearly shines through in his work.

The Big Five Painted in 1970 Oil on Canvas 86.5 x 142 cms / 34 “ x 56” £59,000

Elephants under the Boabab Tree Oil on Canvas 41 x 61 cms / 16” x 24” £75,000

Maternal Instinct Painted in 1992

Oil on Canvas 38 x 61 cms / 15” x 24” £39,500

First Steps Painted in 1993

Oil on Canvas 30 x 51 cms / 12” x 20” £25,000 25

Painter Of The Monumental Shepherd’s works are amongst the best known of any twentieth century British painter, with a signature style and subject matter that makes his paintings as recognisable as a Bacon or a Banksy to the public. His public visibility has come to be seen as part of his artistic identity, giving David the platform to raise both funds and awareness for his myriad charities, using his pictorial skill to affect real change in a way that few painters have been able to. Shepherd’s fame was assured from almost the beginning of his professional career with the huge success of his work Wise Old Elephant, which from 1962 became a bestselling print amongst the British public. So ubiquitous was the image that a poster of this work acted as the primary artistic flare in Del Boy’s flat throughout Only Fools and Horses’ run. His direct but empathetic style clearly resonated with a wide audience in a way that few artworks can. Amusingly, Shepherd notes in his autobiography that when he originally brought his painting to the market “the publishers had to be persuaded to print it – they said no-one would ‘want to buy’ an elephant – but 250,000 did!”

Outside of his wildlife paintings, Shepherd also became well known for his works for the Services, his stalwart defence of steam locomotives which would save many valuable engines from being scrapped, and even his portraits of Royals. With his predilection for depicting large mammals, trains, aircraft, and senior Windsors, Shepherd became known as a painter of the monumental. This he wryly acknowledged when painting the Queen Mother, relating that when “when she asked me how I could paint H.M.S. Ark Royal, then paint her the next day, I told her: ‘Ma’am, it’s the same thing!’.”

Lions with a Buffalo Kill Oil on Canvas 102 x 203 cms / 40 “ x 80” £135,000

Glorious Tiger Oil on Canvas 46 x 88 cms / 18” x 34.5” £85,000

In the Scrub Oil on Canvas 79 x 122 cms / 31” x 48” £85,000

The Big Country Oil on Canvas 51 x 97 cms / 20” x 38” £37,500

Amboseli Evening Oil on Canvas 66 x 132 cms / 26” x 52” £95,000

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation In 1984, David set up the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation in order to repay his debt to the animals that had given him so much success as an artist. His campaigns have won widespread public support and delivered considerable success, as well as receiving conservationist awards. Today, the Foundation’s vision is ‘The Art of Survival’: to fight, protect and engage on behalf of endangered wildlife around the world. For more than thirty years it has worked to influence policy, shift attitudes and provide an unwavering voice for wildlife conservation from grass roots to the world stage. To date it has invested more than ten million pounds in key front line projects across Africa and Asia, that are helping to secure a future for threatened wildlife in natural habitats.

David - at home

DSWF’s Mission To raise vital funds to support front line conservation projects which help secure a future for wildlife in their natural habitat. To fight environmental and wildlife crime through ranger programmes and law enforcement. To engage with communities to educate and raise awareness to reduce threats to wildlife. To campaign for stronger wildlife laws and to reduce consumer demand for wildlife products.

David in his studio

Through dedication and hard work to influence policy, shift attitudes and provide an unwavering voice for wildlife conservation from grass roots to the world stage. davidshepherd.org/donate/

A Tiger in the Bush Painted in 1998

Oil on Canvas 18 x 30 cms / 7” x 12” £27,500

Tiger in the Shallows

Oil on Canvas 23 x 41 cms / 9” x 16” £29,500

Elephant Country Painted in 2001 Oil on Canvas 25.5 x 35.5 cm / 10” x 14” £19,500

Elephants with Ant Hill Painted in 2001

Oil on Canvas 46 x 81 cms / 18” x 32” £59,000

Camels on the Road to Fujairah Fort Oil on Canvas 46 x 71 cm / 18” x 28” £29,500

Alert - Three Rhinoceros Oil on Canvas 41 x 61 cms / 16” x 24” £49,500

When I grow up I’m going to be a Tiger Painted in 1991

Oil on Canvas 22 x 30 cms / 8.5” x 12” £23,500

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