Desiree Hart, Kim Thompson & Chris Prince: Natural Perspectives

About

Natural Perspectives sees the coming together of three passionate wildlife enthusiasts and artists who met on a safari in the wilderness of northern Botswana. They instantly hit it off whilst camping on their way through one of the most remote regions in Africa, the Okavango Delta . They share a love for wildlife and use art and photography to capture their individual responses to the natural world. Each of them has a very different approach to producing images but the starting point is the same – out in nature with binoculars, a camera or sketchbook and a curiosity as to what they might encounter. Forests and heaths, beaches, rivers, parks and their own back gardens are a rich source of material as nature can be found everywhere and is often even more exciting when it is right under their noses. They have all travelled extensively to wilderness locations, with Africa being a favourite destination and the wildlife and landscapes of this continent regularly feature in their work.
However, awe and intrigue is found in every creature, from huge African elephants to tiny, exquisite Silver Studded Blue Butterflies and they will draw, paint and photograph anything that grabs their imagination.

Painting and photographing wildlife is a challenging task as the subject matter rarely stays still and varies greatly through the year. Seasons change, plants grow, light and weather conditions alter a landscape and the wildlife that moves through a habitat is affected by all of this plus the impacts of courtship, breeding and migration. You need endless patience and a certain amount of stealth to observe wildlife as well as an understanding of animal and bird behaviour which will help you gather reference material successfully. There is much to learn but this adds to the fascination and pulls them back to the wild to further understand and capture the subject on film or the pages of a sketchbook and ultimately, canvas.

The images are a celebration of the beauty and drama of nature. The artists wish to share their vision with the viewer; to intrigue, astonish, excite. Whilst also using their work as an educational tool to inspire a love of nature and an interest to learn more. As seen in 2020, nature can have a hugely positive impact on our lives and many more people are appreciating the importance of protecting it as they explore wild places and benefit from a magical, life affirming connection with the natural world. Even having an image of nature hanging in your home can imbue a space with positivity and calm by bringing a piece of the wild inside.

Desiree, Kim and Chris will never tire of their subject matter and look forward to more adventures armed with art materials and cameras and an energy to capture their individual perspectives on nature.

They hope you enjoy this exhibition and will connect with the natural world which inspires their work.

Open Tuesday – Sunday // 10.00 – 17.00