A. E. London
Anne E. London (born December 31, 1957, in southern California) is an American artist and conservationist. Her art was greatly affected by a trip to a refuge for retired media animals, after which she started to focus on doing dramatic pieces that provide emotive portraits of wild animals, especially endangered species. She lives in Mandeville, Louisiana and works primarily with charcoal, watercolor, and engravings. London has established her reputation through producing art for non-profit wildlife preservation organizations and through showing and selling her work at art fairs across the United States.[1]
She travels to Africa annually to continue her conservation work and draw her subjects.[citation needed]
https://www.aelondonstudio.com/
Career history[edit]
London studied graphic arts under Saul Bernstein at Southern California State University and worked professionally in movie studio graphics design, doing storyboarding and logo design for the actress Tippi Hedren, until a visit to Hedren's Shambhala Preserve for retired media animals inspired her to leave the commercial sector.[2] She later became a founding member of the conservation and infrastructure development group Build on Hope in Mozambique, and continues to serve on the Board.[citation needed] Her art career has spanned almost four decades and is displayed in corporate and private collections all over the world.
Visiting Africa regularly, she often draws her subjects live, and has been known to use coffee to draw with if she runs out of paint in the bush.[3] She initially focused on engraving, but due to carpel tunnel syndrome she switched over to charcoal and water media.[4] She is well known for the spirit and emotion she portrays in her animal subjects. London now focuses on water color and charcoal over Venetian plaster on canvas.
A profile of London and her work by Heather Campe called "Letting Loose" was published in the Mar/Apr 2007 edition of Wildlife Art Magazine.[2] London's work includes artwork for non-profit preservation organizations such as the International Rhino Association and The Cheetah Conservation Fund.
London is a Signature Artist member of The Society of Animal Artists.[5] She was awarded the 2005 Award of Excellence for Kitabu.
London was the featured artist on ArtFairCalendar.com in August, 2007.[6] In 2008 London's work was included in a series of conservation documentary videos produced by Captured Life Productions, filmed in South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia and Cape Town.[7]
London sells her artwork through Mountain Trails Gallery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. She also sells online and by exhibiting at fine art shows primarily in the United States, but also through agents in Italy, South Africa and Central America.
Each year since 2011, London and her husband Jim Hart, Director of Oceanographic Expeditions LLC., guide a group of friends and collectors across Africa, introducing them to animal subjects and involving them in conservation projects across Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. In 2012 they founded Arts For Animals inc. This non-profit organization pairs artists with African school children to teach them artistic skills and wildlife conservation stewardship. Arts For Animals provides art materials, lesson plans, inspirational art and computers to teachers and wildlife conservation organizations working in Botswana, Zambia, Zimabawe and South Africa. In 2013, Arts for Animals began their "Wildlife Protector" program which organizes local children in the fight to eliminate wildlife poaching. Children swear an oath to protect wildlife, sign a contract recognizing their understanding of the importance of their wildlife and their commitment to protecting their animals. They are awarded a blue wristband signifying their promise. By 2019 over 8000 children had made the pledge to protect their wildlife.[citation needed]
In 2015, London and Hart designed and built a regional Wildlife Art center in Zimbabwe near Victoria Falls. The Wildlife Center teaches Wildlife art and the importance of local wildlife to visiting students from the region. [8] In 2016, Arts for Animals became partners with Painted Dog Conservation to provide Wildlife art lessons, materials and posters to the children and adults they teach each year at a "Bush Camp" in Zimbabwe.[citation needed] In 2019, London's Arts for Animals program partnered with the Timbavati Foundation in South Africa to provide Wildlife Art Conservation materials, lesson plans and posters to their curriculum. London continues to expand Arts for Animals to other areas of the planet and to exhibit her work worldwide.
In 2017, London's artwork was selected as the international Logo for Sketch for Survival 2018, which raised over $200,000 for Wildlife Conservation projects in Africa and India. The annual charity combines pictures from wildlife artists with pictures donated by celebrities in an international auction. It is hosted by the group Explorers against Extinction. They list Anne London as one of the professional and award-winning artists whose work comprises the core of the collection each year, the Sketch For Survival Invitational. [9]
Awards and recognition[edit]
In 2011 and 2012, London won "Best in Show" or other awards at thirteen national exhibitions.[which?] In 2014, she was cited as "Best in Show" at three exhibitions in North America.[which?] In 2017, A.E. London set a new record at the prestigious Southeastern Wildlife Exposition for the highest price ever paid for their "Quickdraw" competition'.[citation needed] Also in 2017, London appeared on African National Television presenting 2 large Lion pieces of her artwork to Botswanan President,Ian Kama, in honor of his commitment to wildlife preservation. One piece was slated to be exhibited in the Botswana Presidential residence, and the other in Ian Kama's private residence.[citation needed]
Awards[edit]
- 2005 Award of Excellence, Society of Animal Artists[10]
- 2014 nominated for Simon Combes Conservation Award through The Artists For Conservation Foundation
- 2017 Juror Award at the 2017 MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival [11]
- 2020 selected to receive the Simon Combes Conservation Award [12]
Exhibits and publications[edit]
- 2013 "Old Soul" featured in the Artists for Conservation "International Exhibit of Nature in Art"
- 2015 Selected for the annual "Artists for Conservation" 2015 calendar.
- 2016 "By Any Other Name" chosen for the Society of Animal Artists' "Art and the Animal" Exhibition and national tour
- 2017 "I've Got Your Back" chosen for the Artists For Conservation "International Exhibit of Nature in Art"
- 2018 "Lion of Tanzania" featured in the Society of Animal Artists "Art and The Animal" Exhibition and tour
- 2018 Selected for the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition
References[edit]
- ↑ St. Louis Art Fair Featured Artist by Constance Mettler, accessed October 4, 2009
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Letting Loose by Heather Campe, Wildlife Art Magazine Archived 2016-08-12 at the Wayback Machine, Mar/Apr 2007
- ↑ Art Spirit: Virginia Beach Boardwalk Show 2007 accessed October 4, 2009
- ↑ A.E. London, by Jennifer G. Oliver, part of Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes. September 13, 2010.
- ↑ Society of Animal Artists membership list Archived 2009-06-11 at the Wayback Machine accessed October 4, 2009
- ↑ Artists Gallery
- ↑ profile of Chris Theibert, Captured Life Productions Documenting Team Archived November 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Arts for Animals Student Selection of Work". Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ↑ "SFS Invitational". Retrieved 2020-12-11.
- ↑ https://www.societyofanimalartists.com/award-history-for-the-society-of-animal-artists/
- ↑ "2018 Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival article on returning artists". Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ↑ "AFC to Recognize Anne London with Top Conservation Award". Retrieved 2020-12-11.
External links[edit]
This article "A. E. London" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:A. E. London. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
