David in Ranthambore, India.
David J Perkins
Born 1936 in London, England
David J Perkins is a British artist who specialises in wildlife subjects in all their diverisity, comfortably painting big game or small mammals and birds. David is a self-taught artist, working in pencil and oils.
David's formative years were spent exploring Essex coasts and marshes, which initiated his love of wildlife. Reading Henry Williamson's "Tarka the Otter" as a boy re-enforced what has become a life-long passion for the natural world.
In the late 1960's, David exhibited and sold through the Tyron Gallery in London. He gave up painting in the 1970's due to commitments tot he family business, but took up painting again in 1989 and has painted professionally since.
David's passion for wildlife has taken him throughout Europe to America and beyond. He has travelled to Africa, particularly Kenya, and more recently Ranthambore in India.
He has exhibited and sold widely in England, including Christie's, Sotherbys and Bonhams wildlife auctions. His work hangs in many collections throughout the world. David's pieces have been published in England and recently in in America, in the first volume of Rachel Wolf's "The Best of Wildlife Art".
David has won a number of awards, including The Wildlife Art Society's Miniatures Competion outright. He served on the Society's Central Committee for a number of years. He now serves on the Committee of The Natural World Art Group at Banham Zoo. David has won awards at NEWA on a number of occasions. He recently achieved a highly commended award at an exhibtion at the Mall Galleries.
David is an ardent naturalist and conservationist. Included in his other interests is a passion for aviation, steam railways and marine subjects.
David is currently working on a second commission from the Publisher of Canadian Conservation Stamps for 12 paintings of Canadian wildlife. These original paintings are to be reproduced as conservation stamps, one for each Canadian territory. One of the originals, The Musk Ox, for the Nunavat territory is on permanant exhibiton in the museum at Poplar Grove, Nova Scotia.
David's work has also featured on R.S.B.P cards.
David has donated an original oil painting to the Banham Zoo Snow Leopard Project, which is to be used in a gala fund raising event in 2009. It features a Lammergeyer soaring over the Himalayans. It can be seen at Banham Zoo's website.
