A Brush with Africa founder Simon Stevenson is an Internationally renowned wildlife artist, read about his story here.
Simon was born near Moshi in Tanzania, East Africa, where he spent his early childhood living amongst animals in the bush on the slopes of the world’s highest free-standing volcano Mt Kilimanjaro and at 19,340 feet (5894 metres) it is also Africa’s highest mountain. At the age of nine, his family moved from the bush to the town of Arusha, Tanzania’s then new administrative capital and centre of tourism. Here he was to have access to some of Africa’s finest game reserves where he was to study its abundant wildlife. Now many years on, his images adorn the walls of lodges in those same reserves. For those fortunate to have visited this Eden of Africa, the experience enters deep into their soul.
Simon was educated in Tanzania, Kenya and then in the UK where he was to settle in 1979. In 2024 he and his wife Kate moved to South Australia where they now live up in the Adelaide Hills. It was whilst living in the UK that he began to rekindle his deep rooted memories and love of Africa by painting and sketching these beautiful wildlife images. Being self taught, he originally experimented in using the unusual medium of Tea and dry Ochre pigment. By using this unusual medium Simon managed to capture the colour, mood and shimmering beauty associated with this ancient but delicate land. It would appear that his beloved Africa had firmly etched itself deep into his soul.
2012 saw a new development in Simon’s artistic style with the introduction of the medium of Chalk and Charcoal on black pastel paper in the form of animal specimen sketches. These have been greatly sought after and are still collected today. However, in 2018 he further developed his style, and despite being colour blind (Deuteranopia), he began to sketch his images using the medium of Pastels, both hard and soft. Many of these sketches are now displayed as reproduction canvas images in wildlife lodges throughout Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda and South Africa.
Originals in all three of his styles have become much sought after and now adorn the walls of many private collectors worldwide. Both originals and limited edition prints are available for purchase through his new and extensive website www.abrushwithafrica.com
He continues to travel throughout Africa where he studies and sketches its stunning wildlife. He has completed many private commissions for clients both private and corporate and continues to do so.
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the places and moments that take our breath away.”
