Wildmonths

Well I am an artist with a passion for wildlife. I mainly illustrate and sometimes write children's picture books, but I also produce caricatures for magazines and work for advertising.

I was born in 1947 and towards the end of my schooling, when I was in my teens, I started to have an interest in wildlife in all it's forms. I remember cycling out into the local countryside, sometimes with a friend who taught me a lot about birds and bird watching. At that time I couldn't obviously get far but I got to know my local patch which is worth doing when you start this hobby. This new interest channeled my art and I started to produce drawings and paintings on the subject.

During this time one of our teachers, a Mr Hardman I think he was called, who was interested in wildlife, entered our class into 'National Nature Week'. My work on owl pellets showing what they eat was selected. The class had a trip to Alexandra Palace in north London to see the event. I remember there was a magnificent golden eagle and an eagle owl there which made quite an impression on me.

After art school I went into graphic design and later took up illustrating. Wildlife has played a big part in my subject matter but in a humorous way. In recent years I have produced a few wildlife paintings and hope to develop this side of my work. At the moment I get a great thrill from photographing the wildlife I see on my field trips and I hope you enjoy seeing them as much as I did taking them.

I have four boys;  oldest is thirty six, the twins are thirty and my youngest is eleven. All living not far from where I live in Hythe.

I started 'Wildmonths' to show others how rewarding and important wildlife is to our lives. Even if belonging to this site only makes you notice what's going on in your garden or local park it will be worth it!

Photo by Sue Hume