Throwback Thursday #6 - Tiger, tiger...

I've always been fond of cats. They've always been around the house, now and when I was young, and big cats were always exciting for me. So, it's no surprise that I've been drawing and painting them on and off for years.

I thought I'd show you my first ever acrylic painting - which happened to be a Siberian Tiger...

I painted this piece as a gift for my girlfriend back in September, 1997 (21 years ago last week)! That girlfriend is now, of course, my wife and still has this piece (although it's not hung in out house anywhere at the moment).

Looking at it now, I see a lot of space for improvements, but that's okay - it shows how far I've come and how much my work has improved. Having said that, I still like this painting. It's part of my history as an artist, and it's part of our history as a couple - it has a story...

'Tiger 1', Acrylic on canvas board, 1997

Most of my painting, at the moment, rotates around UK landscape paintings and pet portraits. My long term goal is to be able to paint endangered wildlife (to raise awareness of their plight) and to donate a large portion of the profits to conservation work. I have a long way to go before I can do that, as I'm not yet earning enough to support myself.

My next goal is to get my updated website finished, launch a set of prints and start a Patreon page with this specific conservation goal in mind - 2019 is going to be a busy year!

Adam