Alison is English by birth but has travelled widely throughout her life and currently lives near New York City. For nearly 9 years she lived in the southern African countries of Botswana and Zimbabwe and she returns there on a regular basis to sketch. Watercolor is her painting medium and she paints only the African wildlife she has studied through countless hours spent sketching in the bush. Alison is a Signature Member of Artists For Conservation and uses her work to support several African conservation groups. She is married and lives in Port Chester, New York with her husband, Nigel, also from England, and her German Shepherd dog, Kim, from Botswana.

Alison’s website can be found here: www.NichollsWildlifeArt.com

Photography as an artform seems so immediate – perhaps the true skill other than technical knowledge is to be able to “see” the image before releasing the shutter. How does watercolour painting compare in terms of the skills one needs to develop in order to produce a worthy painting?

Painting and photography have many parallels in terms of the skills required. As an artist I also ‘see’ the painting in my mind’s eye before I begin working. I have a clear idea of what I want my painting to look like and what I want to include. Composition is a key element for both painting and photography. In many respects a wildlife artist has an advantage over a wildlife photographer because the photographer cannot control every aspect of the photograph whereas an artist can compose a painting and decide on every element – the wildlife, the landscape, the light. Light is very important in my work, and in photography. Many wildlife photographers take advantage of morning and evening light, usually avoiding the harsher midday sun. The same is true of my paintings. I often paint the gentle light of dawn or the dusty light of evening because this is when many animals are most active and these are the light effects I prefer. So overall, I think there are many similarities in the planning stage of paintings and photographs. The main differences appear in the execution and how the image is actually produced.

For how long have you been painting African scenes / wildlife and how did it all begin?

It all began when I moved to Zimbabwe in 1994. Prior to this I had dabbled with art as a child but had largely given up as an adult. This will sound like a cliché, but the moment I stepped foot in the African bush I loved it and was immediately inspired to start drawing and painting. Since then I haven’t looked back!

What is your favourite African location to work in and why?

Anywhere with wildlife and some shade to sit in is enough for me. In Botswana, the greatest concentrations of wildlife are generally in the north of the country so for a wildlife artist that is a great area to be. Chobe National Park, Moremi Game Reserve and the Okavango Delta are full of wildlife, with elephants, lions and buffalo in large concentrations. However, when I think of Africa the landscape that first springs to my mind is the Kalahari Desert - the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Nxai Pan, the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Mabuasehube and Khutse Game Reserves. Many of these are not as scenically spectacular as the Okavango and you don’t generally find large concentrations of animals so they may seem a little disappointing at first, but if you take the time to get to know the Kalahari you soon realize how special it is. The flat scrubland, sandy soils and salt pans seem to go on forever and the heat can be intense. But there is nothing like sitting at your campfire, knowing there is no-one around for miles in any direction, listening to the plaintive calls of the blackbacked jackal and the clacking of barking geckoes, watching the huge expanse of stars above your head and hearing the distant roar of a lion. You have to carry everything in with you – water, food, fuel, and it makes you marvel at how the desert species make a living in such an extreme, waterless habitat.


What is your favourite animal to paint and why?

Whichever animal I’m currently painting – that’s my favourite. In terms of painting sales, cheetah, zebra and elephants are very popular. Painting makes you really study an animal – its anatomy and its habits. And once you start to look at a creature in that kind of detail you find that each and every one of them is fantastic in so many ways.

What is it that inspires you so much about Africa - and how is that reflected in your work?

Space and colour are two aspects of Africa that inspire me the most. In my paintings I usually leave large areas with very little detail, either untouched watercolour paper or areas covered by large watercolour washes. Although this was initially an unconscious choice, I believe this use of space was inspired by the vast flat grasslands of the Kalahari Desert and the huge skies.

Africa also has amazing colours and in Botswana these are often the result of a huge amount of dust in the air. The sun can appear to set long before it reaches the horizon and the dust mutes colours, removes detail and creates silhouettes, an effect I particularly love. These light effects are the reasoning behind the soft, hazy backgrounds in many of my paintings. Sometimes I remove the background completely and this focuses the viewer’s attention onto the animal in the foreground, because of course my main source of inspiration in Africa is the wildlife.


You mention in your website both field sketching and studio painting – please explain both techniques and how one relates to the other.

Painting in the studio and sketching in the bush are two entirely different activities for me. My style of painting involves a lot of water and loose washes of watercolour with detail generally only shown on the animal. To produce these watercolor effects I have to allow the paint to dry thoroughly after each wash and I need it to dry fairly slowly and consistently across the surface of the paper. I also have to “stretch” my paper before I begin painting so that it won’t buckle when I cover it in water. (Stretching paper consists of soaking it in the bathtub, holding it up to let most of the water drip off then taping it to a board and leaving it to dry overnight.) Controlling drying times and stretching paper are both difficult to do in the bush, especially when you are traveling on bouncy, sandy roads and your vehicle is packed full of fuel, food and water containers. So my finished watercolours are painted at home in the studio.

Sketching requires fewer bulky materials. In the bush I sketch in a spiral-bound notebook with hard covers and use a small, portable watercolor set, smaller brushes and a variety of pens and watercolor pencils. This means I can sketch from the seat of the truck – a necessity with many species. When I’m sketching I’m not composing future paintings, I’m just trying to capture the movement and character of the animal. I may use my sketches later for a painting but mostly I enjoy sketching for its own sake and think of it as the field work necessary to learn about an animal before I can paint it successfully.

A great sketch is hard to beat because it has spontaneity. You have to work fast and that can create great results because you don’t have time to analyze what you are doing. However, creating a large watercolor painting using loose washes of colour is inspiring and I never tire of the effects that water and paint can create. So both sketching and painting have their place in my work – different methods for different results.

How difficult is it to produce a piece of artwork in the field when many animals tend to be on the move and unlikely will pose whilst you work?

I was once asked ‘how do you manage to keep the animals still while you paint?’! The answer of course is that you don’t. So you have to learn to sketch quickly, getting the basic shapes down and filling in the details if you have time. I sketch by using circles as the basis for my animals so I might start with one circle (or oblong) for the belly, another for the hindquarters and another for the shoulders etc. I join them up to get the main shape and then I may add some detail. Often an animal will wander away when you are halfway through a sketch. If you are watching a herd (impala, for example), you may find another animal in the pose that you wanted and then you just start watching and drawing from another animal. Or you may have to start a sketch one day and finish it the next when you find another obliging animal of the same species in the same pose. Of course if you start sketching from multiple animals you have to ensure that the animals are the same sex and approximate age, otherwise you will end up with a weird combination. That is the beauty and frustration of sketching wildlife.



The typical safari environment, one of seemingly always being on the move, perhaps rushing from one animal to another in a limited time frame is more suited to photography than watercolour art: how does an art safari differ from a normal safari experience and how do you prepare for each day?

Art Safaris are a relatively new phenomenon in Africa but I am sure they will soon be as popular as art holidays are in the US and Europe. On an Art Safari you are more likely to sit and watch a species for a long period of time, even common species like impala and baboons. This can infuriate someone who wants to see everything in a short period of time so traveling with like-minded individuals who are happy to sit and wait is extremely important. In the near future I am hoping to run my first Art Safari with safari company Eyes On Africa. There are so many stunning locations and great sketching opportunities awaiting those who enjoy wildlife, the outdoors and art that it will be a great experience. Non-painting guests are always welcome and each evening we will plan the following days activities. These range from safari drives (where we sketch whichever species cross our paths), walks, special tuition sessions (covering topics like composition, color and light) and landscape painting sessions where we might spend several hours in one location painting or sketching the view. The safaris are designed for beginners or more experienced artists. The aim is to give each person as much (or as little!) tuition as they want but they are also designed to allow for all the usual game viewing activities. If you love wildlife and want to try your hand at sketching in the bush, what could be better?

Did you have any formal training as an artist and if so how did it benefit you with regard to African and wildlife painting? Leading on from this there are many sites on the internet detailing wildlife photography but few relating to wildlife art – what advice have you for someone interested in following in your footsteps?

I don’t have any formal art training and have picked up my techniques and style through bitter experience (!), books and a few short workshops. I would say that for those who wish to become wildlife artists there is nothing more important than sketching or painting in the field. There is no substitute for this and it will be obvious if the animals you paint are from zoos or if you only use photographs. Joining wildlife art groups is a great idea as then you find out what is going on in the wildlife art community. I am a member of Artists For Conservation (www.natureartists.com), a group whose members use their artwork to help raise funds for conservation. Being a member of groups like this has been invaluable for me so this is one of the first areas I would investigate. If you search the internet you will find there are quite a lot of wildlife artists out there and there are also a number of wildlife art shows and competitions every year. So if you are interested, do some research and you’ll be amazed at what you can find.

I imagine that being a wildlife artist is somewhat of a niche profession: without being crass and going into specific detail – does it provide a viable income and if someone is dedicated enough to take it up is there room for more African wildlife artists?

The great thing about art is that everyone has their own style and preferred subject matter so there is always room for a new artist. However, making a living from any kind of art is difficult and will not necessarily bring a good income. To succeed you not only need great artwork, dedication and persistence but these days you also need to be a business person, marketing your work and finding clients. Good luck doesn’t hurt but I believe you make your own luck through sheer hard work. It’s not an easy career to chose but if you do succeed it has to be one of the best ways I can think of to make a living.



You use your art to both promote and financially assist conservation entities: firstly what are those with whom you are associated? How did you first become involved in wildlife conservation and what role can you play to benefit their activities?

Most wildlife artists are involved with conservation in some form or another. I became a wildlife artist because I enjoy being in the bush, because I love being surrounded by wildlife and because I want to share this with others through my art. So supporting conservation groups and helping conserve wildlife and habitats is a natural next step. Artists can help in many ways, by raising funds and by raising awareness. For example, I raise awareness by giving lectures and I help raise funds by donating 25% of proceeds from cheetah paintings and wild dog paintings to the Cheetah Conservation Fund and Painted Dog Conservation project.

In February 2007 I was awarded a Conservation Fellowship by Artists For Conservation (AFC, www.natureartists.com) to conduct their 5th Flag Expedition. This programme funds artist members of AFC who visit remote areas to paint and study endangered species or habitats. My Flag Expedition involves a 6-week trip to the Painted Dog Conservation project (PDC, www.painteddog.org) in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, to paint African Wild Dogs (known in Zimbabwe as Painted Dogs). I will stay at the project, traveling with PDC staff and learning about the project and its impact on dog conservation and the local community. After the trip I will be exhibiting my artwork and photographs and giving talks to raise awareness of the dogs and raise funds for PDC.

There are several other groups I support including the Cheetah Conservation Fund (www.cheetah.org), based in Namibia, the People & Predators Fund (www.people-predators.org) based in Tanzania, and Sekolo Projects (www.sekoloprojects.org) based in Namibia. All these groups work hand in hand with local communities and are getting great results for their efforts.


You give a number of educational presentations, including at such institutions as the Bronx Zoo. What do these presentations comprise of and what is the reaction of those in the audience?

My talks are tailored to each individual audience. These have ranged from assemblies for 500 children to talks for artists and volunteers at the Bronx and Central Park Zoos. I cover all sorts of topics – what it is like living and painting in southern Africa, the wildlife and landscapes of the region, conservation issues, examples of local rock art and I also show my own sketching and painting techniques. I always have a lot of questions to answer at the end but perhaps the best response is when someone says that they had never considered visiting Africa but now they are inspired to go!

Comparing photography with art - using memory cards people come back from Africa with thousands of images, shooting from the hip anything and everything and then editing them all down later on the PC. With your considered approach how many images do you usually return with and how do you decide which then makes it through the final “edit”?

When I’m in the bush I sketch everything and anything. There is no editing process and I keep all my sketchbooks and never remove pages from them. I obviously take photos as well but these are also never edited. I never know what I may use in the future so I keep everything. My paintings are never based on photos because I normally come up with my ideas when I am out of the studio, often when I am walking my dog. I always joke that I may get run down one day because I am thinking of my next painting idea rather than watching for traffic! I come up with ideas by mentally ‘walking back’ into a particular place and thinking about what I have seen there. When I get back to the studio I do a series of very small pencil sketches to see if the idea will work. Then I draw the animals in detail and this is when I will refer to my photos if I need to see an animal in a particular position and don’t have a relevant sketch. So I’m afraid no photo or sketch is ever discarded and they are building up in alarming quantities in my studio and office.


Per year, how much time is spent in the field, and how much at home / in the studio? Which gives you the most pleasure and why?

Generally I spend about one month per year in Africa and the rest at home in the studio. Being in the bush is wonderful and necessary to restock my mental library of images but because I can’t produce my finished paintings in the field, I have to spend a considerable amount of time in the studio, painting. I actually find it easier to paint when I am away from the bush because I like to make my paintings simple and uncluttered. In the bush I am surrounded by so much detail that it is almost sensory overload. When I’m in the studio I can eliminate all non-essential details and concentrate on the main elements. So although I would like to spend all my time in the bush, I need the quiet of the studio in order to paint in my preferred watercolour style.

Who influences your work, whether it be other artists, photographers, writers etc and how?

When I was developing my painting style I was living in southern Africa and was quite isolated from other artists and galleries so my style was not unduly influenced by others. Now I live on the edge of New York so I am constantly bombarded by artwork, events, galleries and shows. This is great and allows me to see a wide variety of styles and subject matter (although few wildlife artists live in this area). I take my inspiration from all sorts of places and all kinds of artwork. I subscribe to Wildlife Art magazine so I see other wildlife art on a regular basis but I enjoy work by many artists, many of whom don’t paint wildlife at all. Two who spring to mind are Morten Solberg (for his use of watercolor wash) and Stephen Quiller (for his use of colour).

During the years you have been involved in Africa, namely from a safari point of view, what changes have you seen, in terms of wildlife and habitat, fluctuations in visitor numbers etc?

Botswana is a country where visitor levels are kept fairly low by a policy of ‘low volume, high income’ tourism. This means that most visitors are international and fly into expensive private lodges in places like the Okavango Delta. They are not very visible because their safaris take them straight from the airport to their lodge, where there are probably only a dozen or so guests. Although the number of lodges and the number of visitors have risen in recent years, I spent much of my time traveling in places that international tourists don’t often visit so the increase in visitor numbers was not a problem I encountered very often.

Some of the more obvious changes I witnessed in Botswana were improvements in road conditions. For example it took us nearly 6 hours to drive 200 kms into Khutse Game Reserve from Gaborone in 1996 but by 2002 it was only taking 3 hours. However, the improved roads were not an attempt to get more visitors into the reserve, they were improving the infrastructure for people who lived in villages on the route. The improved roads do make it easier to travel to these destinations so there are new lodges appearing even on the outskirts of reserves like Khutse. In the north of the country this is even more obvious and in Kasane, just outside Chobe National Park, the riverbank is now lined with large rustic lodges.

There is no doubt that there is more population pressure today on the wildlife and land in many parts of Africa. An increase in international visitors can help if the income they generate benefits local communities. This can lead communities to preserve and protect wildlife when previously they may just have regarded the wildlife as dangerous or as competitors for land and water. However, making generalizations about a continent the size of Africa can be both dangerous and misleading. What works in one country may not work in another and every country has its own policies and experience regarding wildlife and tourism.



When not painting in the field, what is your favorite part of a day on safari and why?

Sundowners and siestas!

Apart from your website where else can interested persons view your work? Do you hold touring exhibitions or has your work been published in the press? If so for what purposes and what does it mean to you receiving this kind of recognition?

My work was recently showcased in the March/April 2007 issue of Wildlife Art magazine, a US-based publication. It is very important for any artist to achieve visibility and articles in relevant magazines can be used by the artist for years to come so they are an important part of my portfolio.

My work is shown on various websites - my personal site, www.NichollsWildlifeArt.com and Artists For Conservation (www.natureartists.com/alison_nicholls.asp). I am also featured on the websites of conservation groups I support.

I produce a quarterly printed newsletter and, starting in June 2007, will be producing monthly email newsletters. These are an important way for me to keep in touch with people who are interested in my work and you can find a Mailing List signup page on both the websites shown above.

When I complete my AFC Expedition to Zimbabwe to paint African Wild Dogs, I will be scheduling new exhibitions and talks, starting in 2008. I will display sketches from the trip, photographs, journal pages and other interesting items relating to the expedition. 25% of sales and 100% of talk fees will be donated to the Painted Dog Conservation project. When the schedule is finalized I will publish it on both the websites listed above.

If for some inexplicable reason you were to give up painting would you still maintain the same level of passion for Africa?

Absolutely! If I were to give up painting I would still visit on a regular basis, but it would be difficult to go on safari without a sketchbook.

If you weren’t an artist what else would you do?

I think if I had grown up in Africa I would have trained as a safari guide or worked in the field for a conservation group. If I hadn’t moved to Africa in 1994 I may still be working as a computer consultant. The idea of it makes me shudder!

Alison’s contact details are as follows:

Alison Nicholls
Nicholls Wildlife Art
3 Mitchell Place Port Chester, NY 10573
Phone: 914-939-4023

alison@nichollswildlifeart.com
www.NichollsWildlifeArt.com