Clive Meredith Wildlife Art

New Fine Art Card range launched

2012-01-26T20:52:00.004Z

These 10 brand new fine art card designs are now available from my website www.clivemeredithart.weebly.com

Black Leopard portrait

2012-01-24T16:00:00.003Z

here is where i am with my black leopard oil painting.the photo is awful but i cant seem to rid myself of the glare from wet paint and shiny bits.the nose really doesnt stand out as much as would appear from the photo and the cat itself is actually a good deal darker too.however you can see that i dealt with the issues with the bottom right hand corner and am happy with the overall result.the painting is as near to finished as a painting could be all bar a few bits here and there.i am longing to 'oil out' the painting and get a uniformly glossy appearance once its dried.Once the painting has been scanned i'll post a decent image.hope you all like it.

Black Leopard oil painting nearly there

2012-01-23T09:30:00.002Z

Apologies for the picture quality as its proving difficult to photograph this painting whilst semi-wet.The picture itself is coming along nicely and is now almost complete bar some detailing to be added and a few refinements here and there.I'm thinking of removing the small section of the cats back catching the light in the bottom right hand corner as its a little distracting i think and i think the image will be fine without it,stay tuned to see what i decide.Ive enjoyed playing with colour and colour mixing on this piece,its amazing how many colours you can find in a black cats coat under differing lighting conditions.i have to thank my own domestic black cat 'cobweb' for his modelling skills in helping me understand the colours that crop up in the cats coat.Cobweb is banned from the studio as he's very nosey and can't resist getting into everything but he's never very far away as he's getting on a bit and spends much of his time fast asleep in a quiet corner and so he's been readily accessible for reference this past few weeks.

Black Leopard update

2012-01-20T13:25:00.002Z

Struggling to get a decent photo because of all the glare from wet paint but this is where i am at present with this painting.trying to get used to being a bit bolder with the larger brushes.

Black Leopard painting progression

2012-01-15T14:20:00.003Z

The painting is coming along nicely so far,although as its the largest oil ive attempted so far it's taking me a while to get used to the larger brushes i'm using for this one.I'm still experimenting a little with the colours and trying to pick up on the subtle red/browns that show up in the fur where light passes through.i particularly enjoyed painting the eyes in one session,i think i'm happy with them as is and cant see a need for further work as yet but the nose is a different story,this will definitely need a deal of refinement.looking forward to moving onto the cats face and introducing a little more fur detail.

New painting underway

2012-01-09T10:57:00.003Z

Black Leopard portrait

My new year has had a bit of a late start artistically as ive been struggling to rid myself of an annoying head cold since christmas which has badly affected my concentration and thus stalled paintings that ive been preparing.I have started several new oil projects,however the only one that has progressed enough to be worth showing is this portrait of a Black Leopard.Those regular followers of my blog will no doubt have spotted already that this is a coloured version of my very successful graphite drawing of a black leopard featured on here some time ago.This is the almost complete under-painting and as you can see ive been busy experimenting with a few colours here and there whilst the painting is in its very early stages.Ive deliberately avoided using black and instead mixed my own 'black' using burnt sienna and ultamarine to give a less harsh finish and although its only applied quite sparingly here i'm happy that it will work nicely.i particularly enjoyed using Alizarin crimson for the first time as ive had it in my repertoire of paints since the beginning of my oil adventure on recommendation from fellow artists and have been wondering when i would get to put it to use.The painting has now been put aside to dry for a while and i may leave it as such until the end of the month as i have an oil painting for beginners day course to run and this would be a good example piece to show my students of the progression of an oil painting.In the meantime i have several other pieces at very early stages that i can work on and will post soon if they progress successfully.Last but not least a belated Happy New Year to you all.

Merry Christmas to all

2011-12-24T11:23:00.003Z

Merry Christmas to all of my friends and followers here on my blog.Ive thoroughly enjoyed reading all your comments this year as my artistic journey reached another significant turning point.2011 has been one of my best years as a professional artist and no-one is more surprised and delighted than i.2012 promises to be even better with the release of some long-awaited limited edition prints including some from my latest oil paintings as well as an exciting new range of greeting cards.I do hope you will all continue to stop by and enjoy the art here in 2012,my best wishes to all.

Avocet painting progress

2011-12-21T14:45:00.002Z

Avocet painting is coming along nicely now,ive added a further coat of oils to the bird and largely completed the reflection.A little refinement will be needed here and there but i dont think there's much more i can do if i want to keep it simple and fresh.

I'm not fixated honestly!

2011-12-20T13:51:00.003Z

I do love Avocet's however it is purely coincidental that this image comes so soon after my last avocet painting.Sometimes when i'm playing around with images to find the best composition to suit the image i cant make my mind up between two or they both warrant a painting in my mind.in this case i had two paintings of avocets on the go at the same time a my last fox painting and some new larger works unfortunately the larger works are taking a little more preparation and mulling over and so the smaller simpler pieces are being worked on whilst my mind contemplates the final composition of my large pieces.on this particular painting i had already done the under-painting and now ive added a further coat of paint to the background and water and i shal be strengthening the colouration of the bird as well as re-painting its beak.

the London International horse show at Olympia has now ended and i'm delighted to report that my last fox painting which i rushed off to the framers in order to have it on my stand in time sold on its debut at the show.

i would like to take this oportunity to wish you all a very merry christmas and to thank all my readers and clients for they're on-going support and kind words over the last year.

Avocet study 12.25" x 7.5"

2011-12-15T15:57:00.001Z

The completed little oil study.

Red Fox portrait 8.75" x 12.25"

2011-12-14T10:02:00.002Z

This little study of a red fox displaying a submissive posture has already been framed and is currently on show at the London International Horse show in Olympia,London along with my last pencil drawing 'Drifter'.I thought i would post this updated scan of the painting to show the true colours in the piece as my previous attempts at photographing the painting in the studio resulted in too much glare.Ive been very pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome this piece has recieved and as a result i think i may publish it as a limited edition print in the near future.

Avocet oil study update

2011-12-13T15:35:00.003Z

After my short break in Somerset ive returned to an inbox full of xmas orders and so havnt had a lot of time for painting.I have some ideas for larger images filling out nicely in my head and am about to start preparing mdf boards for upcoming paintings.In the meantime i had a little piece of prepared board lying around in the studio and so i decided to put it to good use on a new avocet study.This Avocet was observed yet again at my favourite birding spot Titchfield Haven nature reserve here on the south coast.I'm depicting the bird on the edge of one of the scrapes and rather liked the viewpoint of the bird from the rear and at this angle it fits my little bit of mdf perfectly.It is for the most part complete ive just got a little more work to do in the foreground with a bit of vegetation.The size of this painting is 12" x 7.5"

short break in somerset

2011-12-04T09:47:00.003Z

since my last posting ive been rather busy with getting artworks out to various xmas shows and preparing boards for new works.There will be several new limited edition prints added to my portfolio over the next couple of months which has meant a lot of to and fro-ing to publishing house of late.As i write this i have taken off for a few days in Somerset for a short break with my family and friends and am enjoying walking along the local coastline and moors armed as always with my trusty camera.it was while taking a short stroll along the esplanade at Minehead that i came across a young peregrine falcon that had just taken a pigeon and was busy plucking feathers whilst being accosted by a growing band of crows attempting to drive the bird off its kill.luckily i had my camera with me and shot over 100 photo's over a period of 15 minutes or so during which the falcon plucked and fed on the carcass whilst fending off the ever more daring crows.As the band of crows numbers slowly swelled they started to venture very close to the falcon and tugged at its tail and wing feathers much to the birds annoyance in an effort to drive it off but the plucky bird refused to be driven away for some time as it ate its fill before abandoning the pigeon carcass to its tormentors.this was my first morning in Somerset and i thought it was a great omen for the rest of my stay here.looking forward to a long walk on the beautifully desolate Exmoor today and i wonder what i may encounter.

Fox painting update

2011-11-22T15:06:00.002Z

After many re-workings ive finally settled for this version of my 'smiley fox' painting.This really was a steep learning curve in portraying varying lighting conditions and at one point i thought i'd never get there but finally i'm happy that it looks believeable and although there is still some tinkering to go it is for the most part complete.On a different note to day i visited my publishing house to final proof my latest limited edition print 'Drifter' an african elephant piece.I was truly stunned by the quality of the printed image and part of the edition have been enlarged considerably to produce a huge eye-catching,wall dominating print which has lost nothing of the detail for being enlarged.The new image will debut at Olympia at the London horse show in december along with the framed original drawing.

New Avocet painting

2011-11-17T10:04:00.003Z

Ive put my little fox painting to one side for a while as i was struggling a little with portraying the backlit nature of the animal.While i'm awaiting inspiration as to how to complete the painting to my satisfaction ive started a new avocet oil painting.This is the more or less completed underpainting which has now been set aside to dry in preparation for the detail coat of oil.The image is once again based on observations at Titchfield Haven NNR made last autumn.

Red fox study update

2011-11-10T11:30:00.002Z

The underpainting for this little painting is now complete and ive begun to add the detail coat of oils.I'm attempting to portray the fox as if backlit and so there are some lovely contrasts starting to appear.Its a bit of a challenge but so far i'm happy with progress.

Little fox study

2011-11-07T15:08:00.002Z

A combination of lack of studio time and chronic procrastination this week means that i havnt a lot to show for the weeks work.I have several smaller oils on the go right now,none of which have progressed particularly quickly and this little underpainting for a small fox study is the most recognisable thus far.I hope to be able to make something of this little study over the next few days.i photographed this particular animal on a very sunny day with the light behind the subject making an interesting backlit photo,which i hope to do justice to in this painting.Portraying the darker,shadowed areas will be my toughest challenge here i think where i'll have to introduce some blues and violet to contrast with the brighter bleached out white highlights.Oh well,fingers crossed and i'll update soon.

Caracal 17" x 11" oil on board

2011-10-28T13:51:00.003+01:00

Caracal has reached the point where i'm happy to call it finished all bar a little tinkering once dry.This one has proved to be interesting for me in practising my fur depiction techniques and i feel that ive learned a little more about how to portray fur a bit more realistically.Hope you all like the results.

Caracal oil painting progress

2011-10-27T15:01:00.003+01:00

Had a great day in the studio yesterday with very few interruptions which is very rare these days.Ive been working up the fur details on the cats head and at one point thought to myself that this was a fairly slow and tedious process and then i remembered and was grateful that this piece is not being rendered in graphite!.

Back to oils(for now)

2011-10-25T16:51:00.003+01:00

after my recent excursion back to graphite ive dusted off an old oil painting that was frustrating me so much that i abandoned it for a while.As an oil painting 'newbie' i sometimes find myself resorting to just daubing colours onto the board with a larger brush in an effort to try and find the colour i want and get the creative juices flowing.This is the second 'underpainting' of this little image and i'm now happier with the colours i'm using and hopefully over the next few days will be able to add detail.In all honesty i havn't a clue whether this will work or not and find myself spending far too long scratching my head with oils to be able to produce many paintings as yet,but i think its important to show my possible failures as well as the successes.

Elephant drawing completed 17.5" x 12"

2011-10-18T17:17:00.002+01:00

Ok,so here it is,the as yet untitled Elephant drawing as it stands right now on my drawing board.I feel as though ive been looking at this image for an age now and i'll have to leave it on the board for a couple of days and look at it afresh later as well as hopefully come up with a decent title for it.Hope you like it,i'm off for a little lie down!

Elephant complete

2011-10-13T09:43:00.004+01:00

The elephant is at last completed.i've been away from graphite for a while before taking on this image and so had forgotten just how long it takes to get all those details in.Next on the agenda is to make some sense of the foreground grasses,no easy task,which i think is going to take an age as well and then finally the icing on the cake in the shape of the little cattle egret in the immediate foreground.i have an upcoming graphite workshop to prepare for over the next couple of weeks and so progress may be a little patchy with this image,however if i can get it right it is likely to make it into print as my publisher's are keen to have a new elephant image from me.If anyone would be interested in recieving details of the print,do email me your contact details and i'll forward information once it's all finalised.

Elephant drawing progression

2011-10-08T13:04:00.002+01:00

The elephant is almost complete now,the trunk and tusks will add the final dimension to the piece and show the lovely light catching the folds and wrinkles in the elephants trunk.Very soon i'm going to have to tackle the foreground grasses and these are likely to take some time for me to complete as its my least favourite subject to draw and one that i'm seldom happy with the outcome of.

Elephant drawing update

2011-10-05T16:43:00.003+01:00

Had several days off this week and so progress on the elephant drawing has been a little slow.Ive left the trunk and tusks until nearer the end of the image to complete as the front legs will be quite dark with the trunk and tusks catching the sun making for quite an interesting contrast and its easier to set the dark tones first.

Elephant drawing: progress

2011-09-28T09:58:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since i picked up the pencils to produce a big piece but i have to admit that it feels like 'coming home'.Whilst it's always a long slog with graphite and i need the patience of a saint to get through it,i nonetheless feel strangely content and in control using the medium.The oil's have been very pleasant to use and when they've worked ive been thrilled with the results but they still feel a little hit and miss compared to that feeling of certainty i get with graphite.Anyway to get back to this piece,ive more or less completed the head with only a little more detail to add.once ive done this i'm going to work on the body and legs of the elephant before tackling it's trunk as ive got some lovely darker tones to work in behind the trunk and tusks and i want to establish those darker tones first to ensure the trunk and tusks will stand out.

UK Coloured pencil society 10th anniversary exhibitionhttp://http://www.ukcps.co.uk/london2011/index.php

2011-09-23T21:40:00.002+01:00

If you love coloured pencil art then there is only one exhibition to see this weekend.The UKCPS is holding a 10th anniversary celebration exhibition at The Methodist central hall,Westminster,London until the 1st october.The exhibition features the very best exponents of the medium from the Uk and guest artists from the USA and the genre's on display include wildlife art,botanicals,animals,portraiture,still life and landscapes as well as experimental modern pieces.During the exhibition there are some of the finest coloured pencil workshops ever seen in the uk from some of the leading coloured pencil artists.If your'e in or around London then this show is a must see,for more details of the show and the UKCPS click on the link

Switch to graphite

2011-09-22T18:10:00.002+01:00

After a break from graphite for a while,ive re-started work on my Elephant drawing thats been languishing on the board for several weeks.I had a tough time working on my latest oil painting and was starting to feel a little jaded and so rather than destroy all my work up to that point i decided to switch back to my comfort zone for a while.The background has been laid in roughly to appear out of focus and the first part of the elephant completed is the ear and here ive layered the graphite using grades H thru to 2B to get the lovely shadow areas.there will be some lovely sharp contrasts in tone in this piece hopefully bringing this lovely bull elephant to life.

Start of a new oil

2011-09-13T17:23:00.003+01:00

This is the Alkyd underpainting for my latest piece.In this painting i'm going to attempt to increase the scale of my work as all my previous paintings are pretty tiny in oil painting terms.This one will measure 17" x 11" ,a step up in scale for me but still a fairly small painting.The subject is a Caracal,a cat that i havn't seen too many paintings of and therefore a good opportunity to try something different.

Brown Hare study 13.25"x9" oil on board

2011-09-06T16:17:00.002+01:00

Finished this little painting this afternoon.I'm happy that my oil painting adventure is progressing and indeed getting a little faster.ive tinkered a little with some added fur details,added the whiskers and of course the eye.i like to leave eyes till last as a little treat as i like to see the whole piece come to life at the last moment.i shall leave it on the easel for a day or two in case the urge to tinker comes upon me but i'm pretty happy with the result.

Brown Hare update

2011-09-04T00:11:00.003+01:00

The first detail coat of oils is now complete and this painting will be put aside for a day or two to dry.The next step will be to add a final detail coat of oils to refine the fur details,add whiskers and little touch's here and there and of course to complete the eye.

Brown Hare oil progress

2011-09-02T17:34:00.001+01:00

Progress has been slow on this little Hare painting due to out of studio committments but ive nearly completed the detail coat of oil on the head of the animal

Two new works underway

2011-09-01T09:12:00.003+01:00

Bull African elephant pencil drawing

Brown Hare study oil painting
Ive finally managed to get a little studio time to make a start on two new images.The first is going to be a largish pencil drawing of a bull african elephant and will no doubt take me forever to complete.I have started to lay in the background in a loose manner and have made it look slightly out of focus with the use of a paper blender,the intention being to tighten up in the foreground only,although i still havnt quite worked out how to make grass look anything other than sketch-like as yet.Lots of practice on spare scraps of paper should see me come up with the solution when the times right.My second image is of a Brown Hare and is in oils.i havnt painted for a while and so i decided to try and ease myself back into the swing of things with a simple study piece.the underpainting has been completed in Alkyd oils and for the first time in 15 years i'm using pure oil paints to render the detail coats.i had forgotten what a joy real oil paints are to work in,quite apart from the fantastic smell!

i still have a few exhibitions on-going and so progress is likely to be a little slow at first but i'll post an update as soon as there's something more significant to see

Update on marwell exhibition and art market

2011-08-31T08:55:00.003+01:00

Invariably i forget to take a photo at exhibitions etc and so i made a conscious effort to get a shot of my little stand in the art market marquee at this years MIWAS exhibition to share with you all.The marquee was packed with fellow wildlife artists for 3 days over the Bank holiday weekend and saw record numbers of visitors attending many of whom were enthralled to watch some of the many demonstrations of artists at work in a host of different mediums.I decided to concentrate on my limited edition prints as i thought it easier for buyers to carry around a busy zoological park than hefty framed works and i'm glad i did as there was steady trade all weekend.It was particularly nice to catch up with so many artist friends and meet new ones in the marquee as well as the many that popped by to say hello on a rare day out from there studio's.In the main exhibition hall i had 3 original works on display and i'm delighted to report that 2 of the 3 sold including my award winning cape buffalo which ive already delivered to its delighted purchasers.i have a couple of shows to go before the season winds down and then i can return full time to my studio and try to realise the many new images swimming around in my head.

Marwell international wildlife art society annual exhibition

2011-08-25T17:51:00.002+01:00

Recieving my runners up award for 'best non british wildlife art' from tv zoologist and conservationist Mark Cawardine

'Cape buffalo' award winning pencil drawing

'Bengal tiger cub' SOLD on preview night

Last night was the preview evening for the Marwell International wildlife art society's annual exhibition held at Marwell zoological park,nr winchester,hampshire.In a packed venue i was delighted to recieve the runners up award in the 'best of non british wildlife art' category and was presented with my award by Pip Mcgarry and Mark Cawardine.Marwell Hall was packed with invited guests and artists for the 13th annual exhibition and it was a real pleasure to bump into many artist friends on a rare trip out from there studio's.As the evening progressed many 'red dots' appeared on an array of different artworks and i was delighted when i learned that my oil sketch of a bengal tiger cub was one of those sold.The exhibition runs untill monday 29th august and alongside the show an art marquee hosting a multitude of artists demonstrating there skills and selling art including myself will be open for the Bank holiday weekend running from saturday 27th through to monday 29th august.if your at a loose end over the weekend or interested in viewing magnificent wildlife art then why not pop along to Marwell Zoological park for a great day out.

'Cockling on Hill Head beach' 6"x10"

2011-08-02T11:29:00.001+01:00

Small graphite WIP

2011-07-31T11:37:00.002+01:00

'Cockling on Hill Head beach' 6" x 10" Time in the studio is at a premium at the moment with my exhibition season in full swing,however ive managed to get this far with a small graphite work.The image is of an older couple out foraging for shellfish on the beach at Hill Head in hampshire.The best of hampshire artists organisation is holding an exhibition entitled Solent scene in september and i thought i would enter something a little different for me.i was out on my mountain bike hunting suitable references for the show with my camera and not finding much inspiration when during a break perched on a seafront bench i spotted these two characters trudging through the shallows whilst the tide was out looking for a shellfish dinner.I'm not really a figurative artist but i thought the scene might amply reflect the exhibitions title so ive been giving it a go.as you can see it's almost complete and only requires the second figure to be completed and the sea in the background.i left the sea until last because frankly i think its the toughest part of the drawing and i'm still working out the best way to approach it in graphite,but i like a challenge!

A departure

2011-07-22T17:52:00.002+01:00

Some of my readers will be aware that i have in the past drawn portraits mainly for friends and family but ive never tackled a nude subject.I have been asked on many an occasion about whether i felt that my graphite techniques could be employed in this genre and without trying it ive been unable to answer the question.And so i decided to give it a go and this is the resultant drawing,my first ever nude study.i wanted to concentrate on play of light and the contrasts of light and dark much as i do when tackling wildlife subjects and i hope ive succeeded in creating a tasteful but artistic image of the human form.

Best of Hampshire Artists exhibition

2011-07-18T09:54:00.002+01:00

Some of you may recognise the image on the official poster for this upcoming prestigious exhibition.This annual exhibition showcases the very best in art produced by artists residing in the county of Hampshire,uk.set in the absolutely fabulous surroundings of the Sir Harold Hillier gardens near Romsey this exhibition runs from 30th july through to 29 august.There will be a huge variety of artistic styles on show in the form of original works,prints and greetings cards.If your'e in the area then come and view this wonderful show in the exhibition centre at the gardens,there is no admission charged to view the exhibition or to relax in the adjoining restaurant.Two of my own originals have been selected for the show and as well as these i will be displaying a selection of limited edition prints and greetings cards.

NEWA exhibition award

2011-07-16T14:26:00.002+01:00

just been informed that my image 'Dusk-lapwing' has won a drawing award at the Newa exhibition that is ongoing until the end of this month.visit www.newa-uk.com to view all artworks and read about the exhibition.

NEWA exhibition

2011-07-12T16:56:00.003+01:00

Dusk-lapwing

Beachcombers-oystercatchers

The NEWA (national exhibition of wildlife art) opens on the 15th july and runs until 31st july at the Gordale garden centre,chester high rd,Burton,Wirral,ch64 8tf. this prestigious exhibition showcases the very best in wildlife art available today and a visit is a must.Last year i was lucky enough to win a NEWA award for my graphite work and this year i have two drawings in the show,dusk-lapwing and beachcombers-oystercatchers

New website launched

2011-06-28T17:04:00.002+01:00

http://www.clivemeredithart.weebly.com is my latest website and this site designed by me is the first to bring together all aspects of my art business.Here you can browse and purchase original works of art,limited edition prints and greetings cards as well as keep abreast of forthcoming exhibitions where my works can be seen.It's still a work in progress but i hope you'll check it out.

Avocet oil painting complete

2011-06-24T15:29:00.002+01:00

Finished this one up this morning.I havn't thought of a title as yet but it measures 16" x 8".

I'm really pleased with the way it's turned out and it looks just as i remembered the avocets when i first observed them.The reflections took some time to get right and in the end it took 3 coats to get them as i wanted them.

Avocet oil painting progress

2011-06-22T20:24:00.003+01:00

After an enforced break due to 'real life' getting in the way of things ive now managed to complete the top coat of oil on the avocet's.All that remains is to create the reflections on the water.

Avocets underpainting complete

2011-06-16T16:00:00.003+01:00

This is the next stage in my avocet painting.Ive now completed the underpainting of birds and reflections and once this coat is dry i'll start to add the detailed top coat of oil paint.

Kingfisher 16.5" x 8" oil on board

2011-06-15T14:58:00.002+01:00

ive been tinkering with this small oil study for a while now and finally decided to call it a day and sign the thing!.i have to admit to not being entirely happy with it but ive had to resign myself to that fact and hope that as my oil painting journey continues my techniques will improve and as such this one has been a good learning experience.

new oil in progress

2011-06-14T16:44:00.004+01:00

This is the start of my latest oil painting of a pair of avocets.here you can see that once the design has been drawn out on the board ive underpainted the water areas with a grey tone in preparation for the detailed top coat of oil.In the lower picture the top coat is well underway and the top picture shows the painting at the end of the day with the water completed.The next stage will be to re-define the birds and there reflections with a thinned underpainting before proceeding with the detailed top coat.

'Reflections' framed

2011-06-03T16:06:00.003+01:00

I was thrilled to find my original oil painting 'Reflections' hanging on the wall at Collier and Dobson's High street gallery in fordingbridge,uk.I think they've made a terrific job of the framing and as it's the first of my oils that ive so far seen framed up it was really exciting to see it taking pride of place.My remaining oils have all been framed in hand-finished frames and will be shown all together for the first time on the Collier and Dobson fine art stand at the South of England show in ardingly,west sussex from the 9th till 11th june

Tiger cub 9.5" x 10"

2011-06-01T14:16:00.002+01:00

ive added some further refinements to the cat's coat and whiskers etc.i was planning to further refine the image but decided that i rather liked the slightly looser feel to it achieved by using larger brushes and so decided against over-working the piece.the image shown is a little paler than the original painting but its the best shot i could get with my camera.i think it's worked out okay but i'll let you be the judge

New mini-exhibition started

2011-05-31T16:28:00.002+01:00

Following on from the success of my mini-exhibition last year at Titchfield Haven National nature reserve i was asked back again this year with an even longer show which runs from today untill 25th november.I will mostly be featuring new print releases of british wildlife in keeping with the location and a smattering of original works as and when they become available.The photo is of my latest print release 'Kingfisher' all framed up and ready to be transported to the venue.i have issued a number of my bird drawings and this kingfisher oil painting as limited editions to coincide with the shows opening.The show is housed within the visitor centre,to which there is free admission so if your'e in the area why not pop along.the images on display will be changing regularly throughout the shows duration.i have hung many of the prints unframed but mounted and wrapped to keep them as affordable as possible for the many visitors to the reserve.

Tiger cub painting update

2011-05-29T10:13:00.001+01:00

this is the second stage completed with the tiger completely blocked in and the eye completed.next i will add all the fur details and refine here and there

new tiger oil painting

2011-05-25T15:56:00.003+01:00

this is one of two paintings currently on the easel and quite obviously is a little study piece of a tiger cub.ive progressed sufficiently to be confident that i will actually finish this one at some point although i'm still dreadfully slow with the oils and as you can see there is much to be done here but its shaping up nicely.

Winter Barn owl 17" x 10" oil on board

2011-05-11T14:29:00.003+01:00

I'm calling this one complete as i'm happy with the image as it stands and dont want to tinker with it any more.learned a lot about the medium producing this which is always a good thing.

further progress-barn owl

2011-05-09T13:29:00.002+01:00

detailing now well underway and with a little glazing here and there will be completed soon.

New Barn owl oil in progress

2011-05-04T16:33:00.003+01:00

This is my latest oil painting project.returning to the theme of a winter barn owl once more but this time an oil rather than graphite version.this is the first time ive posted a oil in progress as i'm very much a learner and i hope it doesn't jinx the final outcome.as you can see here i have more or less completed the underpainting and once the oils have dried i will proceed with the topcoat of fine detailing oil.

Reflections-Black-headed Gull 17.5" x 6"

2011-04-27T13:01:00.002+01:00

i wanted to try a relatively simple composition with oils and so i chose a subject i'm very familiar with and that is one of the many local black headed gulls at this time of year.i may still tinker a little with it but as a learning exercise i'm very happy with the result

presenting 'Intensity' Black Leopard 8"x11.5"

2011-04-04T16:37:00.001+01:00

black leopard drawing almost complete

2011-04-04T09:52:00.002+01:00

this is how the drawing looks this morning.after a weekend away from my drawing board hosting a pencil drawing workshop on saturday and sunday spent relaxing with family and friends i'm hoping to be able to get this one finished up today.ive got several oil projects underway to attend to and i'm working on ideas for my next pencil drawing as well as preparing to release a new range of bird prints limited to only 50 copies in time for my solo show at the Titchfield Haven national nature reserve which starts at the end of may and runs through until the autumn.more details to follow.

black leopard,more progress

2011-03-31T10:07:00.002+01:00

because of the amount of layering going on here progress is slow but steady,ive now had the first opportunity during this piece to use some really soft(for me)grades of pencil and have incorporated some 4 and 6B in the darker areas.

black leopard drawing progress

2011-03-29T16:30:00.002+01:00

the eyes are now in place and you can now judge for yourself the 'mood' of the cat.more layers of graphite have been added to darken the image and more fur details added.

black leopard drawing progression

2011-03-28T11:35:00.003+01:00

the addition of more tonal layers and some fur detail and the cat is now starting to appear.there are upto 7 layers of graphite now in the darker areas each worked from hard to softer grades of pencil.

graphite work in progress

2011-03-26T15:05:00.003Z

after a break from graphite for the past couple of weeks whilst i experimented with oils ive resumed work on this piece of a black leopard that i last worked on at the start of march.i was getting a little rusty and with a graphite workshop coming up next weekend i thought it prudent to get back into the swing of things with pencils by way of preparation.here you can see some relatively finished areas of the drawing and other areas where i have started the layering process to build up tone.

The Egret Pool 6"x12" oil on board

2011-03-17T14:45:00.002Z

Presenting 'snow cub' 9"x11.5" oil

2011-03-12T16:02:00.003Z

This is my first completed animal oil painting of a snow leopard cub,in fact exactly the same cub as i depicted in an earlier pencil drawing.i thought it would make the ideal subject for my first painting.The colours here appear a little more harsh than in real life but you get the idea.For the time being ive caught the oil painting bug and hope to be posting more oils in the not too distant future.hope you all like it.

Blog update

2011-03-08T16:05:00.003Z

As many of my regular readers will no doubt have noticed i have changed the name of my blog from the graphite art of clive meredith to clive meredith wildlife art.
the reasoning behind this is that after a long lay off from coloured works i have recently begun to work in oils again after 15 years of working exclusively in graphite.
i do hope this wont stop my graphite art fans from stopping by as i certainly havn't finished working in the medium indeed i still have an unfinished pencil piece on the drawing board.
i will be posting more art here shortly although it will be a short break before the new oils start to appear but i hope you'll bear with me and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the new works(but please be gentle as its been a while since i held a paintbrush)

new cat study underway

2011-03-03T09:07:00.002Z

ive spent a couple of days toning the background to this new piece.It is intended to be a study of a black leopard but unlike the previous very cute snow leopard cub this one is far from cute.i wanted to show something of the latent power and aggression commonly associated with black leopards in a subtle manner.so in this instance i will use body posture and the look in the eyes to try and convey the atmosphere of a coiled spring which could unwind violently at any moment.whether i pull it off or not remains to be seen and i hope the end result wont be too scary for potential buyers!

Presenting 'Snow cub-snow leopard' 8.5"x11.25"

2011-02-25T12:07:00.002Z

The completed snow leopard cub drawing.This one will be whisked off to be scanned and framed asap.This along with all my other drawings featured on the blog is for sale,if anyone is interested please email me for details of this and other works.

Snow leopard cub drawing progress

2011-02-24T09:16:00.003Z

my snow leopard cub drawing is coming along nicely now.they are quite a tricky subject because of the subtleties of the coat colouration and having the darker background helps to highlight the cats fur and its different tones.the background is going to need further toning but my immediate attention is going to be paid to my least favourite part of any cat drawing ,the ears.normally i draw the ears first and the eyes last to get the ears out of the way early on as i find them so tricky and save the eyes the 'icing on the cake' until last because its such a thrill to see the completed drawing suddenly spring into life.this time ive just abandoned my usual practice and charged in wherever i felt like.

Snow leopard cub drawing

2011-02-22T14:00:00.002Z

First stages of a new small drawing of a snow leopard cub.the background toning has been worked up over a couple of days and will require further work but for now ive moved onto the cat.one ear is complete and ive started marking in the spots and darker areas prior to overlayering with softer graphite.its going to be a simple but nonetheless cute portrait of the cub,sometimes simple is best

Brand new limited edition print released

2011-02-19T13:41:00.004Z

Stealth-Sumatran tiger
My latest limited edition print has just been released by my publishers Collier and Dobson ltd.An edition of only 195 each print has been hand signed and numbered by me and is available mounted and wrapped or framed and comes in two image sizes 40 x 26cms and an enlarged version designed to have real impact on a wall the image size of which is 65.6 x 44cms.they can be ordered from my publishers website www.clivemeredith.com

The graphite art of Clive Meredith: half price offer on lithographic limited edition p...

2011-02-18T15:16:00.000Z

The graphite art of Clive Meredith: half price offer on lithographic limited edition p...: "Seeking Shade-Baby rhino image size 22cms x 35cms ..."

A blast from the past!

2011-02-17T11:04:00.003Z

Whilst i'm busy working up the background toning for my latest drawing of a snow leopard cub i thought i'd post this image of my last oil painting of a Kingfisher.i did this about 15 years ago and its been languishing in the loft pretty much eversince but recently my wife found it and has insisted on putting it on the wall.Looking at it again after all these years i can see areas where i would have improved it had i been able or experienced enough to notice.but it got me thinking and the upshot of it was that i went out and bought some more oils and one day when i get some time i'm gonna give them another go.Although dont hold your breath in anticipation!

Bull Elephant-Pala u falls,thailand

2011-02-13T11:04:00.003Z

Ive finally called time on this image as i feel ive done all i can to liven up the original drawing.i think ive managed to add substantially to the interesting nature of the piece although it's not without problems.most notably the slight indistinctness of the back of the elephant against the tones of the rear falls,but after lots of tweaking ive decided to live with it rather than risk over-doing it.i hope you all feel that the exercise has been worthwhile however.

Got it straight in my head,now to put it on the paper!

2011-02-09T19:23:00.002Z

i like to shake things up every now and again and short of re-inventing myself and my work every few years the next best thing for me is to push myself into areas outside of my normal comfort zone.And so it is with the re-vamping of this elephant piece.From a very simple study piece it has grown into a full-grown landscape scene incorporating an elephant!.The piece continues to grow and test my stamina and after a day or two trying to work out where to go next with this composition ive settled on a further,higher,waterfall for dramatic effect.You can see that ive roughly blocked in the waterfall behind and above the elephant,next to work it up to fruition but without too much tone or detail as i want it 'pushed back' to help with the illusion of depth and distance.

Elephant drawing progressing slowly

2011-02-08T14:43:00.002Z

The elements in this one are starting to come together now.still needs some work on the foreground but for now ive got to come up with something for the background and so its back to my reference material for inspiration.

asian elephant drawing progression

2011-02-05T10:55:00.002Z

Another day in the studio see's the falls completed and from here i shall move forward onto the water and reflections before completing the bank upon which the elephant is standing.I'm still not quite sure what i shall be doing above the falls but with a bit of luck it will come to me before i finish the foreground.

Elephant drawing re-vamp started

2011-02-04T20:00:00.002Z

Ive decided to attempt to re-create a scene from the area i visited in thailand where there were many wild elephants to be seen.The area known as the pala-u waterfalls was set deep in jungle and the dirt road to the falls was littered with the evidence of crossing by wild elephants.nearby was a village where for a small fee you could enjoy the jungle atop an elephant and this was by far the easiest way to come across there wild cousins.ive not got a large area to work with here and so i'm trying to capture one of the falls and so far ive completed the rocks of the falls on one side of the elephant and next it will be onto the falls itself,something ive never attempted in pencil before.this image is a bit of an organic process as apart from the key element of the falls i'm going to be making the rest up as i go.

re-vamping of a drawing

2011-02-03T10:13:00.003Z

This image entitled 'Bull Asian Elephant' was completed a couple of years ago now but hasn't really gleaned a lot of interest and so ive decided to give it a little re-vamp.This could turn out to be a complete disaster if it goes wrong however i'm going to attempt to transform it from a study style piece into a piece where the elephant is back where i first observed it.In this case it was on the Thai/burmese border on a riverbank in front of a series of waterfalls set deep within the forests.There isn't much room on the paper to describe the scene but i'll attempt to get it into context and hopefully this will add that element thats currently missing from the piece and with a bit of luck attract a buyer.

New pencil saturday workshops for 2011

2011-01-31T14:02:00.002Z

announcing three new dates for my ever popular saturday pencil drawing workshops.the dates are 2nd april,7th may and 4th june 2011.the workshops are held in the studios of Browns Fine Art based in Locks Heath,hampshire and run from 10am-4pm with a break for lunch and refreshments included.during the day i will be demonstrating techniques i use to produce my wildlife art drawings and the days will focus on improving your pencil skills and learning techniques and tips to help you bring your drawings to life.The cost for each day is £30 per head and further details can be obtained by contacting Browns Fine art on 01489 587179

Winter Barn Owl drawing completed

2011-01-30T11:09:00.002Z

Finished this image up quicker than anticipated today.I've really enjoyed working with all the fabulous textures on this one and of course the magnificent barn owl.The finished image measures 17"x9.5" and once approved by my clients will be whisked away for framing.

working on wood textures-barn Owl drawing

2011-01-28T09:26:00.002Z

Had a great time yesterday in the studio working on the wood textures in this drawing.i always enjoy adding some textural interest and man made objects into drawings as they work so well in graphite.Having drawn the fencepost i thought it still looked a little bit too tidy and so i added the rusty old bit of barbed wire just for a bit more interest and a new texture.

The snow's arrived!

2011-01-27T09:16:00.002Z

The Barn owl is now complete and ive been able to start on the exciting bit,putting in the snow-clad vegetation.i love drawing snow in graphite,i think it looks so effective particularly when set against a darker background.it adds some lovely contrasts to the drawing.Next i'm going to be working on the old fence post and rail and hopefully making it into a nice old scruffy and weathered post to add some more interesting textures to the piece.

Barn owl drawing -quick update

2011-01-25T17:17:00.003Z

A little more progress on the owl to show.the wing is now completed and the remainder of the bird will not take long.Looking forward to getting stuck into the snow clad teazles and other vegetation.

Beginning to draw the owl

2011-01-24T09:43:00.003Z

The Barn owl's head is now completed and i'm now making a start on the most difficult bit which is the wing plumage.Barn owl's feather's are beautifully and elaborately marked and the secret to a successful portrayal is to try and capture all the details whilst still retaining the 'feel' of the very soft and fine feather structure.it is all too easy to get carried away with the detail utilising all your reference material and knowledge of the feather structure but i find it best to draw what i 'see' as opposed to what i know is there as this will make the drawing appear more natural rather than overly technical.this is not after all an illustration.

Barn Owl drawing update

2011-01-21T18:14:00.003Z

The background toning has now reached a point where it is dark enough to move onto other areas of the drawing without fear of them becoming lost in a sea of grey.there is scope for further darkening here but i'll add more elements before i make the decision on the final tonal range in the background.so far its been layered with multiple layers of H,HB,B and 2B in varying amounts and finished off with a final 'glaze' of H grade pencil.Next it's onto the Owl itself and all that ever-so subtle plumage which again entails lots of very subtly laid graphite layers and lots of little details.

New Barn owl drawing started

2011-01-18T10:32:00.002Z

This is the layout for my latest drawing of a Barn Owl.The drawing is a commissioned piece based on an earlier image Winter barn owl and in particular the attitude and pose of the owl itself which was much admired by my clients.I have altered the elements within the picture whilst maintaining the same 'vibe' as the earlier piece.This has been helped no end by the generous sprinkling of snow we had in december and the wonderful reference opportunities that came with it.So far here i have drawn in the basic layout and included some of the wonderful snowclad plants i came across.the background has had an initial toning of H grade graphite which i have blended using my paper stump in exactly the same manner that i used to create the original image and the background itself will be worked up first to look as similar to the original as possible.

Works featured in brand new publication

2011-01-17T13:47:00.002Z

I am absolutely delighted that two of my bird drawings 'Saker Falcon study' and 'Low Tide-Little Egret' were chosen by the author Tim Wootton(himself a fabulous bird artist-check out his blog on my bloglist) to appear in his new book 'Drawing and painting birds' alongside bird art from some of my all-time heroes like Robert Bateman,John Busby,Charles Tunnicliffe and of course Tim Wootton.This fabulous new book is a must for all budding avian artists and bird art fans alike with a wealth of useful advice and tips to improve your bird renderings as well as a collection of the most magnificent bird art.published by Crowood press at only £16.99,a better book on bird art would be hard to find.

presenting 'Amber' 12" x 11.5"

2011-01-11T17:20:00.003Z

I'm happy to call this portrait finished now.Amber has been quite a challenge with her paler coat which has meant for many layers of very subtle graphite shading to build up her shape and form without becoming too dark.i altered her neck slightly to slim her down a tad and have re-toned the background once again to try and achieve the perfect balance of tone in the image as a whole.She will remain on the drawing board until her portrait receives the seal of approval from my clients.

Amber portrait update

2011-01-08T15:56:00.003Z

Background re-toned again and lots of subtle tweaks here and there and Amber is slowly emerging.i have a few more minor alterations to make to this piece before completion including just trimming her scruff down a little but other than that ive just the neck to complete now

Labrador drawing update

2011-01-06T15:52:00.003Z

Ambers face has been layered multiple times with graphite ranging from H grade thru to 2B and fur detail added.once the face was completed the ear had to be darkened slightly as well as the nose.i have added in ambers collar and started the initial layering of graphite on her neck using an H grade pencil,much more to go however ive decided to add more tone to the background as its a little pale.this has been layered with many,many layers of H and HB and once again i'm going over it as you can see with yet another layer of graphite to knit it all together nicely

Happy new year 2011

2011-01-01T11:39:00.002Z

I would like to wish everyone a very happy new year and a hope that this year will be a more peaceful and prosperous one than of late for everyone.
i apologise for the lack of postings of late ive been suffering with a bout of flu and my head is just starting to feel re-attached to the rest of me enough to attempt some work.there isnt much progress to report on my portrait of amber the labrador but i'm hopeful that as i feel better so amber's progress will accelerate.her ear is more or less completed,some little bits to do here and there but it can wait for now.ive added in the darkest areas first and unusually for me at this stage that includes the eyes because they are amongst the darkest areas on amber's face.this is a work in progress and so they're not fully finessed yet but nonetheless they're presence helps me get the overall tones of ambers face correct.the face itself has had the first layer of H grade graphite applied and will require further layering to bring out the subtleties in her coat but already i can see that the background toning will have to be adjusted later on.

Merry Christmas to all

2010-12-23T09:38:00.001Z

Merry christmas to all my readers from the snow-clad banks of the river Hamble.Thankyou all so much for all the lovely enthusiastic comments ive received this year.I hope you will continue to enjoy the art here in 2011,my very best wishes to you all.

Labrador commission progress

2010-12-21T14:47:00.002Z

With the background toning finished for the moment ive now made a start on Amber the labrador.Because she's quite pale in colouration i wanted to set up my tonal values for the piece by drawing the darkest areas first,in this instance Amber's nose and muzzle.Doing a couple of dark areas first makes it easier to judge the tones on her coat and therefore i can approach this element with confidence knowing exactly which grades of pencil will suffice.under normal circumstances progress would be relatively rapid from this point in the drawing but as its almost christmas with all that that entails the drawing will be a little stop/start on occasion.

Background developing

2010-12-17T12:47:00.002Z

The background to this piece is slowly developing thanks to multiple layers of H,HB and B grade pencil.i'm now starting to work up the abstract shapes in the background that will serve to add a little interest and bring out certain areas of the dogs face.

Start of a new commissioned drawing

2010-12-15T10:15:00.002Z

Not very exciting to look at i know but this is the very initial stages of my latest project.The drawing is a commissioned piece featuring a lovely labrador called Amber whom i was privileged to spend a couple of hours with getting some lovely reference photo's and just generally getting a handle on the dogs character to try and get that across in the finished drawing.what you see here so far is the result of a couple of days work.the first stage in all my drawings is naturally to work up an outline from my references on bits of old cartridge paper which once i'm happy with it i trace onto my prepared drawing paper.the paper is hot pressed watercolour paper which has been immersed in water and then stretched onto my drawing board and left to dry overnight,this results in a lovely subtle 'tooth' which grabs just the right amount of graphite without being too rough or smooth.the next stage of this particular drawing is to create an abstract,blurry background to enhance and push forward the dogs head.here i have already painstakingly layed down one layer of H grade pencil over a period of hours and now i'm beginning a second layer using the same pencil.as i work up the background i will progress through several different grades of pencil,layering and blending as i go to create the effect i want to achieve.the background alone is likely to take many days to get right until i can make a start on the animal itself.as a final note i'd like to add that in the last week i had a bit of a disaster with my laptop which i managed to well and truly fry and lost a good deal of data and in particular most of my email contacts and so i would be obliged if any of my clients reading this would be good enough to just drop me a line so that i can retrieve email and contact details.luckily my photo library is safe and sound and i'm slowly getting to grips with my new laptop and new operating system.

presenting 'Jiji' 9" x 8.5"

2010-12-08T12:25:00.002Z

I'm calling the drawing complete now.the drawing is slightly looser than my usual style,governed mainly by the reference available however i think ive managed to capture the essence of Jiji and i hope her owner will be pleased.

Dog portrait almost complete

2010-12-07T11:21:00.002Z

with the head of the dog complete except for some minor tweaking later ive moved onto the neck area and in particular the task of re-creating the lovely long curly fur found there.once the correct tone has been achieved by layering graphite several times over i can start to use the pencil in much looser,long strokes to try and emulate the long hair.here you can see my initial long strokes plotting out the general fur direction,these i will elaborate on and define further until it looks natural and soft.

a day at the drawing board

2010-12-05T10:36:00.003Z

start of day

Lunchtime

Evening

i thought i would post the progress of my latest commission as i worked on it throughout the day yesterday.This portrait of Jiji is being created from some slightly poor quality reference photo's taken on a mobile phone and so i'm unable to see all the details necessary to undertake a really detailed study.in this instance ive opted to go for a slightly looser style to accomodate the lack of detail.the looser style still allows me to capture a little of the character and hopefully the 'look' of jiji.

retriever drawing-a little progress

2010-12-03T14:03:00.002Z

some progress to report here as i slowly layer graphite onto the dogs face building up shape and form.the left hand side of the face is almost complete now and ive done some more work on the jaw area.jiji is slowly starting to appear and hopefully by my next posting should be looking very familiar to her owner.

new commissioned drawing

2010-11-30T16:15:00.002Z

this is the start of a new commissioned dog drawing for a dear friend of mine. jiji lived in thailand and unfortunately passed away fairly recently and the only references i have to work from here are a couple of grainy mobile phone photo's.as you can imagine it's quite a tough challenge and frankly one i wouldn't normally attempt but i know how much jiji meant to her owner and so i'm giving it my best shot.ive started with the outstanding features and set in place my darkest tones to help a little with the more subtle tones to come.the eyes will go in fairly early in the drawing,which,as those who follow my blog will know,is unusual for me but because i havn't got such fine detail to work with its important to discover early on if i can make this drawing look like jiji.

half price offer on lithographic limited edition prints

2010-11-17T19:54:00.008Z

Seeking Shade-Baby rhino
image size 22cms x 35cms
£22.50 + p&p

Northern wanderer

image size 28cms x 33cms

£23.50 +p&p

Next Generation

image size 35.5cms x 47.5cms

price £28 + p&p

Young Tuskers

image size 22cms x 33cms

price £22.50 + p&p

Waterside Rest

image size 34.5cms x 40cms

price £26 + p&p

Solitary hunter-amur leopard

image size 28.5cms x 44cms

price £26 + p&p

Silverback-lowland gorilla

image size 43cms x 35cms

price £28 +p&p

Shadows-white rhino

image size 36cms x 47.5cms

price £26 + p&p

Prickly pair

image size 18cms x 40cms

price £21 + p&p

Matriach

image size 43cms x 34cms

price £26 + p&p

El Tigre-Jaguar

image size 39.5cms x 31cms

price £23.50 + p&p

Cool contentment-siberian tiger

image size 30cms x 42.5cms

price £28 + p&p

Boundary patrol

image size 33.5cms x 33.5cms

price £23.50 + p&p

Autumns Bounty-dormouse

image size 25cms x 17cms

price £21 + p&p

Lying up

image size 31cms x 42.5cms

price £23.50 + p&p

Following a decision by my publishers to discontinue offering the last few of my early lithographic limited edition prints which were all editions of 595 hand signed and numbered by myself the remainder of the print stock and some artists proofs were handed over to me to free up valuable space for my latest and upcoming giclee releases.each print is mounted and cellophane wrapped and comes with a certificate of authenticity ready to go straight into a frame.there are a very limited number of numbered editions and artists proofs available of each image and i am offering these at the prices shown under each image which represents a 50% discount on the previous price.For non-uk orders the print will be rolled and dispatched in a tube and a further discount will be applied.This is a fantastic opportunity to own a clive meredith limited edition print or an even rarer artists proof.For more details or to place an order please email me at clivemeredith@hotmail.com

Please note these are lithographic prints not giclee images