Innovations in painting and printing are important to well-known wildlife artist and photographer Claire Tomlinson. She has developed her own recipes for non-toxic paints, which combine natural earth pigments and a plant-based acrylic medium. Only water is required to thin the paint and clean the brushes. Claire then paints onto raw, unprimed linen and frames the pictures with driftwood collected in Sussex, UK.
“I like linen because it is a natural fibre that comes from the flax plant. To grow flax, 60% less water than cotton and far fewer chemicals (if any) are needed. It also has a high rate of carbon absorption,” she explains.
Claire also offers prints of her eco paintings which are printed with water-based inks, involving no chemicals or solvents, and are printed onto linen.
An artist who is actively dedicated to conservation, she has volunteered for a variety of organisations, including the RSPB, Durham Wildlife Trust and the Katelios Group for turtle conservation in Kefalonia, Greece. Through RSPB Wildlife Explorers groups, Claire has also used her teaching experience to instil in children a love of nature and a desire to cherish and protect it.
Collaboration with David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
As a child, Claire was particularly inspired by the work of the artist and conservationist, David Shepherd CBE FRSA FGRA, and was lucky enough to meet him in 2012, when he gave her a personal tour of his studio, as well as the opportunity to watch him paint. She now collaborates with the charity he established, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation: 25% of profits from the sale of Claire’s eco range products are donated to the foundation.
www.ctwildlife.co.uk
09/09/2022
