Merry Christmas!

De la Création à la création: L'Animal dans l'Art

"Flight Path" (below) recently sold at an auction of natural history artworks, in Paris, for 1,700€ (700€ above estimate). To browse the full auction catalouge, click here.

Santa Goes Green

This year Woodmansterne card publishers have released one of mine and Theo Bosanquet's Christmas card designs.

The card will be sold in John Lewis, Waitrose, Paperchase, and WHSmith, as well as some smaller independent card and gift shops.

It will be for sale as a single greetings card (EAN 238376) and within a Christmas box of 12 cards of the same design (EAN 238147). If you would like to find your nearest stockist please call 01923 200 630, and give your postcode and the EAN of the product you are interested in.

Elephant in the Room

Well, here it is - a big white elephant. Let that not be a bad omen... !

Sponsored by FFI, this will be its home for the next couple of months whilst I put my designs to it. Eventually it will take its place alongside approximately 250 others, somewhere in London, as part of Elephant Family's "Elephant Parade London 2010".

I will post more updates below as painting progresses over the next few weeks.

It wasn't exactly an easy journey to its temporary home, but the delivery company - Eco Man and Van - are indeed a professional outfit. No valley too deep, no fence too high...































Fri 27th Nov - Crouching Elephant, Hidden Message... can you tell what it is yet ?





























The Farrow & Ball paints (kind sponsors of the event) are working out very nicely. I now need to focus all my time on elepainting. Less ambiguous photos to follow next week...


Thurs 3rd Dec






























Well, it should be more apparent what it is now (I hope..)

I've started applying detail on top of the base layers of colour. Days like today remind me why I opted against painting outdoors. In the wake of Thanksgiving, I'm very grateful for the warmth of my studio!

















Sat 20th Dec

Starting to take shape now. I spent today applying the final frosting to the ice. It felt quite apt with the snow falling on the glass ceiling above.















Thurs 24th Dec

It's the final countdown...

I'll be working on the water today, and then again on Christmas morning. He needs a name though, and FFI are running a competition to find one.

Send your suggestions to elephant.comp@fauna-flora.org before 1pm on Boxing Day.



Sat 2nd Jan

Happy New Year!

I'm pleased to announce the elephant now has a name...

Meet "Nanook". The name is derived from the Inuit word for Polar Bear, and, I hope you will agree, quite fitting.

I am just applying the final touches before putting a gloss varnish on the ice parts, in the hope that this will make it shimmer in the sunlight.

Nanook is being collected on the 5th January, whereafter he will undergo an anti-graffiti treatment before being unveiled somewhere in London at the beginning of May. You'll know when I do where that will be.


Tue 5th Jan

Off he goes...



























(Original Elephant Parade post)

Fry's Mouse Lemur

Stephen Fry recently took on an ambassadorial role with Fauna & Flora International. On his first visit to the FFI head offices in Cambridge, he was presented with an illustration I did of a Madame Berthe's Mouse Lemur.







































This tiny primate made an appearance in the BBC's recent "Last Chance to See" series, presented by Stephen Fry and zoologist, Mark Carwardine. The series follows the two, as they travel the globe meeting some of the world's most endangered animals, retracing the footsteps of Douglas Adams and Mark 20 years on.

A must see in my opinion - really enjoyable watch, and a lot of focus given to real conservation issues.

One in a Million

Here's the link to the blog post about the giraffe auction on One Million Giraffes...













Ola Helland is aiming to reach 1,000,000 giraffes before the start of 2011. Help him get closer to that target by sending in your own entry.

Elephant Parade London 2010

Confirmation came though this week of my involvement in Elephant Parade London.

Set to be the capital's biggest public art event, 250 fibreglass life-size adolescent elephants will be distributed around the city, on display for a period of three months next year (May - July). Each elephant is sponsored by an organisation or individual and decorated by an artist. I will be taking delivery of my elephant soon.

Some big names of the art world, including Gary Hodges and Quentin Blake, are also taking part in the event. A full list of all contributing artists can be viewed here.

Elephant Family is the charity behind the campaign. They are hoping to raise over £1 million for conservation projects across Asia. Follow their efforts on facebook and twitter...

Facebook

Twitter

Giraffe Art Auction for Charity

Winning bid: £110

I am holding an auction of this small giraffe pastel I did recently, inspired by Ola Helland's wonderful initiative One Million Giraffes.


It will take on the form of a silent auction, with the leading bid being displayed at the top of this post.

ALL proceeds from the sale will go to the charity Fauna & Flora International to support the tireless work they do protecting these graceful animals and others in Africa.

Please send your bids to:

giraffeauctionffi@googlemail.com

You will be notified if you are the current high bidder, but please check back before the auction ends (Sunday 15th November 09, midnight), as you may have been outbid.

The picture is unframed (image size: 7.5 x 11 inches) to allow ease of postage. If you are the eventual winner, you will be sent an email with Fauna & Flora International's payment details, and requested to provide an address for delivery.

Not only is this an opportunity to make a charitable donation to an extremely worthy cause, it could also be a good chance to get your hands on an original Aveling artwork at a very fair price!

If you have any questions about the charity FFI, please contact Camila Iturra on:

Camila.Iturra@fauna-flora.org

Many thanks, and happy bidding!

Martin

Weekend at Harrods

Here are a few pictures from last weekend spent drawing on the shop floor at Harrods. There was a fair amount of press on Sunday surrounding the arrival of the world's largest Scooby snack, attracting several known faces and their dogs to stop and pose with the big biscuit. Even Scooby Doo himself took time out of his busy schedule to drop by...

Post Cards for Wildlife

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation recently released a ring bound booklet of images, printed on high quality art card, which are detachable to send to friends, or keep for yourself. "Storm Brewing" is one of the featured images.

Order yours here for only £6 (including postage & packing)

An Eye to the Future

The 2009 Society of Wildlife Artists exhibition opens on the 23rd September at the Mall Galleries in Trafalgar (London).

My pastel of a snow leopard - "An Eye to the Future" - was accepted into this year's show. The galleries are open daily between 10am - 5pm. The exhibition closes on the 4th October.

Guests Gallery Animal Art Contest

"Mother and Child" (below) came runner-up in the Guests Gallery's 1st International Animal Art Competition, and was presented with an Award of Merit. Thank you to everyone who voted online.

Wildlife Artist of the Year 09 Round Up

Katherine Tyrrell provides a detailed summary of the exhibition (including a great review of "Storm Brewing"). Read it here.

Up until the 26th June, members of the public are in with a chance of winning a limited edition print of "After the Rains" by David Shepherd.

Simply email the name of your favourite piece to dswf@davidshepherd.org to automatically be entered into the prize draw.

All shortlisted works can be viewed here.

Interview for Dulwich OnView

"From Arfica to Herne Hill, with Pastel Pencils"

"Anna di Brina met Martin – and his two colourful corn snakes! – in his South London flat, to find out more…"

Open House Art Fair in Dulwich

In south London over the next couple of weekends? I will be showing a few works at 182 Court Lane in Dulwich (11am - 6pm).

For more information please click here.

Making a Mark

Making a Mark is an informative art blog edited by Katherine Tyrrell, covering most aspects of the industry.

It includes information on upcoming art exhibitions in the UK, as well as reviews and other useful resources for artists and art enthusiasts.

Wildlife Art Company

I recently signed with the "Wildlife Art Company".




















Established by world-renowned zoologist and author, Mark Carwardine, and managed by wildlife editor, Rachel Ashton, the company is at an exciting stage of development, and I am thrilled to have been invited on board.

An early fascination for all things wild ...

A letter written to mum whilst on holiday in France, circa 1990:

Unique idea for a wedding gift

Instead of getting your friends a decorative throw pillow or gravy tray, how about a specially commissioned artwork? It could be of the church or reception venue, or even a portrait of the happy couple. Either way it will be original and thoughtful, and is bound to get you plenty of extra brownie points!










































All you need to do is send me some reference material in the form of a digital photo (better yet, a selection of photos) and I will take care of the rest, including framing if required.

martin@avelingartworks.com

Prices range from between £500 - £1,500 for a framed piece. Sure, It's more than a gravy tray, but it's also so much more personal. It could be something a group of you might like to go in for together, and It also doesn't have to be of a building or a picture of the couple... It could be anything! Their favourite dog perhaps... ?

DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009: Announcement of shortlisted artworks

I am delighted to announce that 3 of my pieces have been shortlisted for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation's artist of the year competition, 2009.

The exhibition is to be opened by Sir Michael Parkinson at the Mall Galleries on Monday 1st June, and will run until the 6th June. 50% of any sales goes towards conservation projects supported by the foundation.

One of the shortlisted works - "Storm Brewing" - was also recently featured in the April issue of Artists & Illustrators magazine:

African Wild dog print auctioned as part of FFI appeal

The conservation charity Fauna & Flora International (FFI) have recently launched an appeal for funding to help safeguard the future of African Wild dogs in Mozambique, currently faced with extinction.

The Niassa National Reserve in the north of the country boasts a rich diversity of wildlife, including large populations of elephant and sable antelope, as well as various big predators, such as lion, leopard and hyena. One of the parks other predators is the rare African Wild dog, of which approximately 450 individuals reside. FFI has been working with their local partner to manage the reserve for almost 10 years, and have achieved remarkable success in this relatively short period of time. Despite this however, they still face many challenges, and continued support is paramount for further success in the future.

As part of the appeal, I have donated a limited edition print of one of these dogs, which can be bid for on ebay. 100% of proceeds go to FFI.

Southwark News story

I recently did an interview with Southwark News. You can read the full story online here.