Artists of Walker Bay Modern Art.
Alan Ainslee

Born in 1952, I grew up on a Karoo farm in the arid Eastern Cape region of South Africa. I graduated from the East London Art School in 1974, where I studied under the well-known painter and sculptor, Jack Lugg. Upon completion of my studies, I worked as a graphic designer and illustrator. My career as a wildlife artist commenced in 1984. Since then I have participated in numerous local and international wildlife exhibitions. My first solo exhibition in 1987 was opened by the well-known South African conservationist, Clive Walker.

My wildlife paintings, drawings and bronze sculptures are found in private and corporate collections worldwide – Australia, Austria, Botswana, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Poland, Hawaii, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Zambia.

I have completed a wide range of commissions, including a life-size bronze sculpture of two running oryx for South African National Parks (SANParks). Today, this sculpture can be viewed at Twee Rivieren in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park between South Africa and Botswana. Sun International commissioned me to do bronze sculptures for three of their major international golf tournaments at Sun City, South Africa, as well as paintings of the Lost City at Sun City. Further afield, I completed bronze sculptures of the Big Five for Wyeth in Pennsylvania, USA, as well as a collection of paintings for Global Resorts in Botswana.

In 1996, I was commissioned by the South African government to create the inside front cover and watermark design for the country’s passport. I have illustrated numerous stamp series, miniature sheets and first-day covers for India, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. My stamp designs not only cover wildlife, but also architecture, culture, and portraits of international figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Nobel laureates such as Nelson Mandela, Nadine Gordimer, Albert Luthuli and Desmond Tutu. My stamp series entitled “Animal Poaching Awareness” was released by Philatelic Services in South Africa in March 2015.