When two job offers from Zambia came up, I jumped at the opportunity. One was as an illustrator with a publishing house in Lusaka and the other as a guide in Kasanka National Park. Although I’ve always had a strong desire to develop my artistic talent to the full, my love of nature won out and I took the guiding job.

In my time there, I immersed myself in the work of safari guiding and Park protection, revelling in the freedom of the wild open spaces. Between forays into the bush, painting and drawing were things I always came back to. The smaller creatures have always held a special fascination for me and along with my study of their behaviour and ecology, I would often make detailed sketches of reptiles, small mammals and birds. A favourite artistic exercise was to pick up skulls and other bones and carefully re-construct an animal by layering the muscle, skin, fur and feathers over the form of the skeleton.

In the disruptions of 2020 with the lockdowns and travel restrictions, I had more time for the artwork and the painting took on an equal role with the guiding and ecological surveys. I work in all the traditional media, moving between broad-brush and detail, impressionist and realistic styles.

I still lead birding and wildlife tours and love to put ‘meat on the bones’ of a sighting by going beyond identification to give guests the fuller story, sharing fascinating personal and scientific insights.

Lately, I have focused on working closely with Zambian tour operators to showcase Zambia’s enormous potential on the international market. I work with these partners throughout the country to raise Zambia’s standing as an international birding and travel destination. I also represent them at the annual Global Bird Fair in UK.