Thanks
Nothing is created in a vacuum.
Unless you believe the origin myth of Western physicalism, in which case everything was created in a vacuum. But more of that in my blog…
My own work is certainly dependant on the generosity and encouragement of numerous people, particularly those mentioned here, without whom the pages of this website would be a lot less colourful.
All of these people (and organisations) have allowed me to paint images over which they had copyright, and the vast majority also gave me direct, positive feedback on my work. In many cases I was given an open invitation to paint anything and everything they had photographed, which is an incredible gesture.
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Last, but certainly not least, a big thank you to Andy Whitelock, for helping me to get this site up and running.
Please take the time to visit some of these websites. It is an unfortunate coincidence (or perhaps no coincidence at all) that the creatures I find most interesting are some of those on the brink of extinction. Anything and everything we can do to support those fighting for their survival is to be encouraged.
Bill Atkinson
After a highly distinguished career in IT, Bill Atkinson built an enviable reputation for landscape photography. He has also produced a large number of stunningly detailed portraits of semi-precious rocks, a selection of which made it into a beautiful large format book called 'Within the Stone' (2004). Bill has suggested that I move on to soap bubbles when I become bored of his stones... but that might take a while.
Carl Charter
Carl is a professional underwater photographer, based in Adelaide. He has a large body of work online, including a number of Youtube videos. In April 2023 he was named a 'Sea Hero by ScubaDiving.com, in recognition of his conservation work and his devotion to opening up the wonders of the ocean to members of the general public.
Jon Ohia
Jon is a New York resident and gallery director for the Chambers Project, the world's leading gallery for psychedelic art. He also founded his own media company and works at the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, a non-profit promoting the practice of art as a spiritual path that was co-founded by psychedelic (and fractal) artist Alex Grey.
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The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors can be found at: https://www.cosm.org and the Chambers Project at: https://thechambersproject.com
Scott Stevenson
Scott is a wildlife photographer who has the good fortune of living in Victoria, Canada, and of capturing some of the stunning wildlife native to the Pacific Northwest. His image of the Stubby Squid is very similar to Stephane's of the Blue-Ringed Octopus, in that it combines simplicity with a beautiful sense of depth and aliveness, and simultaneously conceals the diminutive size of these amazing creatures.
Stephane Bailliez
Stephane is an amateur photographer from New York, specialising in marine and 'topside' wildlife. His image of the blue-ringed octopus is simple and stunning in equal measure.
Geoff Gallice
Geoff is a PhD biologist, conservationist and photographer, working at the coalface of biodiversity preservation through his work as President of the Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon (based in Peru). His image of the Red-Eyed Tree Frog is perfect, but it is just one of hundreds on his Flickr site, all of which are absolutely stunning. If Geoff hasn't won a major award for his photographic work, then there's no justice in this world.
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The Alliance for a Sustainable Amazon can be found at: https://www.sustainableamazon.org
Marcello Rabozzi
Marcello (from Barengo, Italy) is one of many photographers who still make their images available free of charge and with no strings attached, something that is essential for artists working on a limited budget. His excellent work can be found on the Pixabay site, amongst others.
Florent Charpin
Florent is also a prolific amateur underwater photographer and resident of New York. He has put together a visual guide to the reef life of tropical seas, consisting of over 7,000 images and more than 1,900 species.
Ryan Lynch
Ryan Lynch is biologist, conservationist, photographer and Executive Director of the Third Millennium Alliance, a conservation project in the heart of the jungles of Coastal Ecuador. Ryan has given generously of his time and knowledge, despite spending much of his life deep in the back of beyond. He also has a liking for images with dark backgrounds, which makes my job just that little bit easier.
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Supporting TMA projects, especially land acquisition, offers companies and individuals a genuine route to impactful carbon offsetting. I cannot recommend these people highly enough - they are out there doing what most of us wish we were doing, and making a real difference to the long-term preservation of our planet's invaluable biodiversity.
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The Third Millennium Alliance can be found at: https://www.tma.earth
Sangha Lodge
Sangha Lodge is a tourist oriented conservation and rehabilitation centre, set in a vast (3,300 sq.km) UNESCO-world heritage site in southwestern Central African Republic. It consists of tropical rainforest, most of which remains relatively untouched. Indigenous wildlife ranges from gorillas and elephants to giant rats, porcupines, countless bird species and the gentle but endlessly-persecuted pangolin.