Edinburgh wildlife artist has two paintings in national auction for conservation charities

Two paintings by Edinburgh-based professional wildlife artist Carol Barrett are among more than 250 works due to go under the hammer for charity in an online art auction this weekend.

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Carol has donated a pair of watercolours entitled Rhapsody in Blue, featuring giraffes and elephants, which will be sold together as one lot at Explorers Against Extinction's Sketch for Survival event.

Others who have contributed works to the auction include singer/ songwriter Joni Mitchell, actors Stephen Fry and Bill Nighy and Wallace & Gromit creator Nick Park.

The first of the watercolours is entitled 'Rhapsody'.....

Carol said: "I was delighted to be approached once again by Explorers Against Extinction to be part of the Invitational collection for this year's Sketch for Survival.

"There is some beautiful work. It's absolutely stunning. I think it's the best collection they've done so far.”

As well as being available to view online, the paintings are on display at the Sketch for Survival exhibition which is running at the Oxo Gallery in London, which closes with online auction on Sunday at 6pm.

Carol, who lives with her ex-MP husband John in Corstorphine, normally makes regular trips to Africa to paint but has not been able to travel there during the pandemic.

..... And the second is called 'In Blue'.

She painted the two watercolours specially for the exhibition.

"They are a pair done in these tones of blue – partly as a melancholy feel because of the situation wildlife finds itself in – and I wanted to feature the big iconic animals so there's giraffe in one painting called Rhapsody and then the elephant one is called In Blue."

Carol graduated in drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art and works in pastel, watercolour, acrylic, ink and mixed media.

After 30 years painting professionally, she announced last year that all proceeds from her paintings will go direct to conservation charities.

She said: “I became an artist through my fascination with drawing animals and went on to become a wildlife artist and conservationist after going to Africa and being mesmerized by its wildlife.

"Elephants are awe-inspiring and are my favourite to paint especially when they have young because of their devotion to their families.

"The scene in this painting was inspired by a baby attempting to chase a Blacksmith Plover in the Luangwa valley where there is still space for these gentle giants to roam.”

Proceeds from the auction will go toward 21 conservation projects around the world from satellite monitoring in Niger to save the under-threat West African giraffe to rewilding the Pantanal region in Brazil to help conserve pumas and jaguars.

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