Andrew Ellis Wildlife Art

Wildlife artist Andrew Ellis is best known for his dramatic paintings of birds of prey in flight; his work also embraces moorland scenes, game birds and African animals. Recently he has started to document wider aspects of the cultures of the Middle East. Born in 1971 in Torquay, Andrew Ellis grew up in the Devon countryside and discovered in himself an eagerness to paint the natural world – in particular, raptors. He recounts: ‘The Taita falcon for me is one of nature’s sparkling diamonds. I first came across the existence of this beautiful little falcon when I was about 13 and had just discovered the book Falcons of the World by Professor Tom Cade. I dreamt of seeing, painting and of course flying some of the wonderful falcons contained in its pages.’ The following year, Ellis was encouraged by two local falconers to develop his talents, both in art and in falconry. From 1987 to 1989 Ellis studied at Exeter College of Art and Design, and while there he secured his first contract to provide book illustrations, for The Story of the Sporting Gun by Ranulf Rayner. Since then, his works have appeared on the covers of many international magazines as well as in further books on wildlife. Emma Ford’s volume Gyrfalcon (1999) – a scholarly work examining the Arctic bird that is the largest falcon in the world – includes 19 of his images, and he is producing illustrations for the forthcoming book Peregrines of the World. In 1991 Ellis held his first solo show at Britain’s National Falconry Fair, at Chetwynd Park in Shropshire. There he came into contact with experienced wildlife artists including Alan Hunt, who would significantly influence his work. Subsequently Andrew Ellis has exhibited in continental Europe and as far afield as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar and America.