Wildlife Art - Original Paintings and Prints

Extensive gallery of bird, wildlife paintings and wildlife art prints

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Welcome to the online gallery of artist Martin Ridley.

My specialist area is British wildlife and landscape paintings. Most of the original artwork is created using oils or watercolours.

UPDATED: 14th January 2012

This website has been on the internet since the year 2000. There are frequent updates of new pictures as I display my current drawings and paintings using digital camera shots. Please revisit every few weeks, I'm sure there will be some fresh images for you to look at.

The most frequently updated section is the "on the easel" page. You might also like to visit my other website www.wildlife-art-paintings.co.uk

Ben Halton Stags

Original oil painting
image 30 x 40 inches
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Wolves

Original oil painting
image 24 x 36 inches
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2011 NESTING SEASON at ROSSAL

Swifts
There are three nests with two monitored by cameras. The season started very late as poor weather prevented the birds getting into condition for egg laying. Both broods of two chicks were less developed than at the same time last year, but I'm pleased to say that they all fledged successfully.

Swallows
This year we nearly had three pairs settle to nest. In the end it was two pairs. The most advanced, hatched five young in the previous year's nest, but abandoned them due to the continuing bad weather. The other pair used a woodcrete cup placed in our garage and fledged three young.

Spotted Flycatchers
Now this is another addition to our garden list of breeding birds. I did not see the brood fledge, but hope they made it!

Starlings
Five young were raised very efficiently in the box next to one of the pairs of swifts

Treecreepers
This is the first time that I've come across a treecreeper nest. They were using a rotten silver birch trunk peppered with Great Spotted Woodpecker nesting holes. By coincidence I had just placed a treecreeper box on a tree nearby.

Catch up on the story so far Nestbox News

Download video clips of our nesting birds

Unfortunately after the eggs had only just been laid another swift desperately searching for a nest site of its own managed to enter the nest chamber. In the morning the eggs had been swept from the nest during the scuffles and were broken. Each year we see swifts unable to find their own nest sites. Reduced nest site availability is considered one of the major problems causing the crash in our population of swifts. See if you can help swifts Fortunately the swifts managed to lay a second clutch which hatched on 21st June.

Previously swifts nested at "Rossal" in 2008.

2008 clips
1st Egg 2nd June
Swift chick just a few hours old
12 day old chick and both parents
16 day old chick flapping wings

View clips of the 2008 chick as it developed... Nestbox News
The chick was ringed and finally flew on 29th of July after its parents had already departed for Africa.

Forthcoming Exhibitions

Each year I take part in a number of exhibiting events. In 2010 I showed at The Royal Highland Show, The Scottish Game Fair, Perthshire and a joint exhibition at the Donald Watson Gallery, Waterston House, the Scottish Ornithological Society's headquarters. In London there is the annual Society of Wildlife Artist's exhibition at the Mall Galleries . Full details are available on my events calendar page.

In 2011 events include The Scottish Game Fair and Perthshire Open Studios.

How to Commission a Painting

Perhaps you would like a special piece of artwork to remind you of an experience or as a gift for someone with a particular interest. Please read the advice on how to commission a painting and contact me to discuss any ideas that you have. I regret that I do not undertake any commissions of domestic animals or human portraits.

The "on the easel" page is used to share the creative process with my clients. Clients can follow the progress of their commission on-line and are sent an email whenever the page has an updated camera shot of their artwork. This idea is proving very popular and saving or printing the images of the developing painting from the web page adds a little extra to the provenance of the finished painting.

Clients sometimes ask me whether I would contact them if I ever produce a painting of a particular bird, animal or location. Please feel free to register your special requests. I cannot make any promises but if at a later date I generate any suitable work I'll get in touch.

PAINTING IN PROGRESS

Original oil painting
image 18 x 30 inches
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Great Spotted Woodpeckers

Original oil painting
image 18 x 30 inches
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