About

52-Artworks : A Year in Nature is a journey, a time dedicated to creating a new body of work by wildlife artist Noel Ashton in preparation for a unique wildlife exhibition in 2012. This is normally a very private journey, an immersion of the artist into his creative world, only to be seen at the end of the process, but this time Noel Ashton has decided to do this differently by creating the 52Artworks – A Year in Nature Blog. Each week, for the period of the year spent preparing for this exhibition, Noel will post a new painting or sculpture, thereby offering the public a unique opportunity to share in his experiences of wildlife encounters, and capturing them in paintings and sculpture, a journey of inspiration through the eyes of an artist.

You are invited to share these experience by subscribing through the link on the right column of this page. You will then be notified of each new posting via email.

The original paintings and sculptures will be available for sale, and limited-edition signed prints will become available after each posting. Please see the Prints and Sales link above.

Please feel free to share this Blog with anyone you feel might be interested in following Noel’s journey.

Noel Ashton

Noel has been described as an artist, scientist and conservationist, at first glance a contradictory set of ideals and motivations, yet it has been the synthesis of these attributes that have enabled him to touch people’s lives in an original way. Through his storytelling he takes us on fascinating journeys, his artworks offer windows into hidden worlds, his passion drives him to initiate conservation programmes, his words have the capacity to touch and transform, and his African soul helps him connect with the wider living world.

To find out more about Noel and his artworks, visit www.noelashton.com

Noel’s thoughts around exploring creativity

How does one describe the nuances of the creative mind and the powerful need for shared expression but to suggest that I am a receiver, my senses engaging in the moment and my emotions giving clues to my deeper self as they respond to the world around me. It might be the fall of light on a distant peak, the gentle calling of an owl from across the valley on a wind-still night, or the tapestry of the earth receding into a Karoo horizon;  it is my emotions that tell me of the joy in these moments, and from these come the inspiration of the artist. These tangible moments  invite my fullest attention and initiate a coming together, seeking the connection between the outer visceral world and an invisible inner echo, giving clues to my sensibilities as an artist. It is these aspects of the self which keep the artist within me alive, and it is through the process of creativity that I share them with others, a journey of the soul made visible through paintings, sculptures and words.