29 May 2012

DJCAD graduand captures wildlife prize

A Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) graduand, whose vivid avian imagery was one of the highlights of this year’s Degree Show, has won a prestigious prize in a competition for wildlife artists.

Madeline Mackay (23), originally from Caithness, took home the top prize in the Young and Wild Category at the 2012 David Shepherd Wildlife Foundations’ Wildlife Artist of the Year competition. She had two pieces short-listed for the exhibition. Birds was created from charcoal and peat, while Egret is a waterless litho and chine work, which earned her the title.

The ceremony was held at the Mall Galleries in London on Monday, and she was presented with £500 of prize money by wildlife artist David Shepherd CBE and conservationist Mark Carwardine.

This was the latest in a long line of awards for Madeline’s work, the majority of which focuses on bird imagery. Both her works were sold on the opening night of the competition, and says she was honoured to be awarded the prestigious title against tough competition.

"Having seen the work of the artists that I was up against I had no expectation of winning," she said. "It has been the most amazing experience and I am so glad that I travelled to London to see the exhibition and had the chance to meet so many amazing and talented artists.

"It was so exciting to see the red dots appear on my work. It was also a privilege to talk to David Shepherd who told me that the advice he was given as a young artist was to always strive to make your next work better than your last."

Madeline’s passion for painting birds came from her experiences of growing up in Caithness, and her images reveal a fascination with unpeopled landscapes.

Among her previous awards are the 2011 Woodland Trust prize, resulting in a sculpture commission for cast bronze birds for the Moncrieff Hill Woodlands, and the Timothy Greenwood Wildlife Artists Memorial Competition. The prize for this latter award was a two-week trip to Nepal to produce works inspired by the landscape, people, plants and wildlife there.

Madeline has been offered a six-week residency in Finland this autumn, and will graduate with a degree in Fine Art from DJCAD, part of the University of Dundee, next month.

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