adminSitting in his studio-cum-bedroom, he glides his pencil on a huge drawing paper revealing the image of a horse which appears to be breaking through the paper coming out straight at us, vivid and glorious.
“This is the second piece of the four I’ve been ordered to do, lots of work but worthwhile at the end of the day. I currently have 28 orders so I’m quite busy and I hope it remains so,” he says.
Meet David Filer, the reigning David Shepherd World Wildlife Artist of the Year for 2011.
Filer scooped the coveted award at the third attempt.
He is the only Zimbabwean to have topped the prestigious competition and he aims to repeat the feat once again in 2012.
The 25-year-old’s emotional piece of a mother elephant cuddling with its calf called “Forever and Ever Amen” took top prize, beating close to 12 000 other artworks from across the globe.
“I couldn’t believe it, I remained seated as they called my name out as the overall winner and my sister had to push me to go and collect my award. It was also good that it came with £10 000 because I was in need of a car,” he said with a broad smile.
His very first entry was a category winner and that kept him going for the past three years with the hope of realising his ambition of winning the “Oscars” of wildlife art.
He acknowledges the pride of representing one’s country at such a platform and winning it as an indescribable feeling.
David Shepherd is known internationally as an artist and ambassador for wildlife. In 1960 he became a conservationist overnight when he came across 255 zebra lying dead around a poisoned waterhole in Tanzania.
Since then, with the help of supporters across the world, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) has given away over £4 million in grants to save critically endangered mammals in their wild habitat and benefit the local people who share their environment.
In Zimbabwe, the DSWF supports the Painted Dog Conservation Project working to save the African Painted Dog and benefit the local people and raise awareness for wildlife and the environment in Zimbabwe.
Fewer than 3 000-5 000 African painted dogs (commonly known as wild dogs) survive in viable populations in just four countries, making this species Africa’s most endangered carnivore.
Since the Painted Dog Conservation (PDC ) project began dog numbers rose from 400 to approximately 750 in Zimbabwe today, which has not occurred elsewhere in Africa.
DSWF funds the work of the Painted Dog Conservation Project’s monitoring and anti-poaching work which is now made up of 28 men in three teams who have successfully gathered over 12 000 snares in the last few
years. Grants also support the project headquarters, located near the main gate of Hwange National Park, and its vital education project to encourage tolerance for the dogs from local communities and ranchers.
Filer said the biggest piece of art he did was a three- metre wide and 1,5 metre high piece with his biggest selling drawing pulling in US$10 000 which has made his job a highly viable one in Zimbabwe.
He has held several exhibitions in Harare and hopes that 2012 will see his biggest solo exhibition.
“Art is a luxury item but I must say I’ve been very lucky when it comes to selling my art because orders just keep coming. I’ve been shocked and surprised at how it’s going. However, as an artist I have to be realistic and understand that when times are hard art is the first thing that will be dropped by any individual,” he notes.
He studied for a degree in Information Design at Pretoria University and for him it is just a fall back plan because he has not done anything to do with his profession but has rather taken his art career seriously.
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