David Shepherd

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British artist, world-famed for such wildlife paintings as "Tiger Fire," 1973, and one of the world's most outspoken conservationists. He is also famous for his paintings of steam locomotives (he owned a number of them), and often painted aircraft, portraits (notably The Queen Mother) and landscapes. Shepherd is the author of five books about his art, including "An Artist in Africa," 1967, and "David Shepherd: An Artist in Conservation," 1992, plus an autobiography "My Painting Life," 1995. As a child, David collected books about Africa and dreamed of becoming a game warden. In 1949, he left school and went to Kenya where he was told his services were not needed. Upon his return to England, the Slade School of Fine Art rejected him, saying he had no talent. Shortly thereafter, he met Robin Goodwin who became his mentor. He began receiving commissions for aviation painting from the Royal Air Force, and in 1960, they flew him to Kenya and commissioned his first wildlife painting. He became a conservationist after seeing 255 dead zebra, and in 1984, he formed the David Shepherd Conservation Foundation, working to save endangered animals in the wild. In 1971, he was awarded an honorary degree in fine arts by the Pratt Institute of New York, and his life was detailed in "The Man Who Loves Giants," 1972, a BBC documentary based on his autobiography by the same name. Shepherd’s passion for steam locomotives resulted in the purchase of two locomotives during 1967. He is the founder of the East Somerset Railway, an operational steam railway and registered charity. The worst financial year of his prolific career was 1975. He married in February 1957 and had four daughters. Shepherd died on 19 September 2017, aged 86, after a 10-week fight in hospital with Parkinson's disease. Link to Wikipedia biography