Marine Biologist to Artist – LIFE AS A HUMAN (2024)

I never had any intention of being a professional artist. It is something that slowly developed and then took over. I grew up in a small town in the North of England and used to watch Jacques Cousteau on television diving in the Caribbean and other exotic locations. This really appealed to me and from then on I wanted to be a marine biologist and all my school work was to that end – I wanted to be a scientist!

It is a very emotional experience to see a wandering albatross for the first time in the Southern Ocean – There is a fabulous quote from naturalist Robert Cushman Murphy 1924–“I now belong to a higher cult of mortals, for I have seen the Albatross” This painting was a category winner in the BBC Wildlife artist of the year 2011.

I was fairly good at art at school, although I did get kicked out of extra art classes once for not painting in the style wanted by the art teacher. I sold small drawings of racing cars to school friends and I also did a few paintings for friends and neighbours, mostly of their dogs but also street scenes. I also remember that one of the first oil paintings I did was a portrait of a lion. I went on to study marine biology at Liverpool University, followed by three years research for my Ph.D, based at the University’s marine laboratory on the Isle of Man.

House sparrow: I have probably done more paintings of sparrows than any other species – this is based on an old cottage near my home.

I had always been interested in wildlife and had become a very keen photographer. It was during this time that I started drawing again – mostly birds and sea-birds that I saw around the Island These works were usually in pen and ink with added coloured pencil. I began to get interested in wildlife art, which, in the late 70’s in the UK consisted of either the famous David Shepherd elephant paintings or simple ‘bird on a branch’ paintings – there was very little in between.

The most beautiful and enigmatic owl – a simple portrait – but all about light in the painting.

After a time working in Spain, I was approached to help set up a scallop farm on the small Scottish Island of Scalpay, just off the coast of Skye in the West Highlands. It was my first experience of real wilderness. Scalpay is privately owned, only a couple of miles across and had a total population of 6 – including ourselves. There were no cars, shops or TV and the only connection to Skye was with our own boat. It was, however, a fantastic place for wildlife – red deer, otters, golden eagles could all be seen as you went about your daily work. It was perhaps unsurprising that I started to draw and paint more seriously.

An old cottage with light flooding the dark interior and a wren somehow caught inside – I love the process of painting such an image – all about light and texture.

I had now discovered acrylic paints and at the end of our stay the Island’s owners commissioned me to do three small paintings – my first sales as a wildlife artist May 1981. They still hang in the ‘big house’ on Scalpay. This was a pivotal period because it captured my imagination and enthusiasm for painting wildlife. I had also become aware of the work of Canadian wildlife artist Robert Bateman, his work was like no other at the time and simply took my breath away. Full of atmosphere and emotion, the wildlife often hidden within the painting – it was what I was looking for and I said to myself “I want to be able to do that”.

I watched this pair of lions in Kenya’s Masai Mara last year – he was not going to let her out of his sight!

My work on Scalpay was only for a year and, as happens to most marine biologists at some time, I found myself unemployed. This lasted for two years, but they were, with hindsight, probably the most important two years of my career as I decided to try to make a living by painting wildlife. I started painting everyday and improving to the extent of selling a few paintings through a couple of galleries. This gave me the confidence to organise my first exhibition in 1982. It proved to be successful and gave me such a thrill and great impetus to improve my painting.

Soon afterwards, I moved back to the West Highlands where I was offered a job on the remote and beautiful Ardnamurchan Peninsula. My job was mostly research and development of shellfish farming, but it also involved traveling around the highlands and islands to advise shellfish farmers – and of course gave me the chance to see some great wildlife areas. I was also fortunate enough to be able to watch otters from my office.

Portrait of beauty and power

I was determined to improve my painting and used to paint for about three hours every night after work, supplying paintings to galleries in Edinburgh and also to Harrods in London. I also met Robert Bateman himself at his exhibition in London in 1984. Amazingly, he introduced himself to me and, as he was travelling to Scotland, he invited me to spend the weekend with him while he was there. He was incredibly helpful and encouraging – though I cringe at the work I showed him. (I also had the opportunity to visit him in his studio in British Columbia some years later).

In 1988 we decided to leave the Highlands move back to the Isle of Man to work for a fish farming development company. This, however, did not last very long it soon became clear that I would have to either move or change career. At the time the only opportunities in my field were London based. This was not an enticing option for me so the time came to concentrate on painting and see if it was possible to make my living from art. I arranged my first exhibition on the Island in the following year and since then have held one man shows more or less every other year at a variety of venues.

My favourite conditions – low sunlight, frosty morning in the winter (ours are usually just wet and windy!) – a barn owl just flying through – but it is really a painting of light and cold.

My aim as an artist remains is as it has always been, not just to illustrate but to impart the atmosphere and experience of seeing wildlife; often that short, exciting glimpse of the bird or animal in its own environment. It is a moment caught in time – look away and the bird may have flown. I have been lucky enough to travel widely researching my subjects – from the polar regions to Africa and India, and have had some wonderful experiences.

My work gives me great pleasure and has won a variety of awards, including three times category winner of the BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year, and regularly being selected for the prestigious ‘Birds in Art’. I get such a thrill at seeing wildlife, whether it is birds in my garden or tigers in India, I want to pass on something of that experience in my paintings. I do not profess to be a great artist out to change the world but if I can help make people see the world around them a little better – then that will do for me.

Image Credits

All Paintings © Jeremy Paul
Bio Photo © Daryl Balfour

Dr. Jeremy Paul Artist Bio

The accurate portrayal of wildlife in its environment is the essence of the art of Jeremy Paul, an artist whose work is shown in leading galleries and is now in collections in the UK, Middle East and North America where he has also been selected for the prestigious ‘Birds in Art’ at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson art museum.

Born in Accrington, Lancashire, UK in 1954, Jeremy Paul had a successful career in marine biology before becoming a professional artist. After receiving a doctorate for research, his work took him to live in Spain and some of the most beautiful and remote areas of the British Isles, particularly the west coast of Scotland including a period on a small island with a total population of 6. This was his first experience of true wilderness and abundant wildlife and it was here that he started painting seriously.

A completely self taught artist he works in acrylics, developing the painting in many layers of paint with extensive use of underpainting and glazes to alter the tone and atmosphere of the work.

“My aim as a wildlife artist is not merely to illustrate but to impart the atmosphere of the setting and the feel of the wildlife in its natural environment. I spend many hours in the field observing wildlife and looking for settings and lighting to inspire an idea for a painting. I get a great thrill from seeing wildlife around the world and helping raise funds for conservation through my paintings.”

His paintings manage to capture a moment in time, creating a sense of quiet stillness in which wild birds or animals are seen, undisturbed by the viewer – a forgotten corner of a barn, a peaceful riverbank – small cameos, which are pictures of tranquillity

He has travelled extensively in India, Africa, North America and most recently the Polar regions. His work has been used on a number of issues of postage stamps and is in the collection of ‘Nature in Art’, the International Centre for Wildlife Art, Gloucester, UK, where he is part of their artist in residence programme. A book of his work was published in 2007, when he also provided the cover artwork for the Manx Bird Atlas.

He has received commissions from the Sultan of Oman and the Government of the Isle of Man, where he lives with his wife and two children. In 2002 he was asked to put on a private exhibition for a visit to the island of the King and Queen of Norway. He recently had a major, part retrospective exhibition to celebrate 25 years as a professional artist.

Website: Jeremy Paul – Wildlife Artist

Follow Dr. Jeremy Paul on:

BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year – category winner 2010-2011-2012 | Wildscape Magazine Artist of the Year 2008

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