Debbie Knight has had a life long passion for wildlife conservation and art. As an artist, she specialises in the mediums of watercolour, gouache & oil painting. Her subjects range from; African wildlife, to primates, of which Orangutans are her favourites, to all the big Cats & much closer to home pet portraits. She always endeavors to be true to her heART, conveyed perfectly by the mantra of Antoine De Saint-Exuper “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.".
She often paints younger animals, endeavouring to capture that special look in their eyes, which reflects their spirit of innocence, curiosity or bond with a parent. Although she loves to paint young cubs she feels that everything has beauty. You need to be passionate about your subject to produce your best work. Debbie has always been a lover of life, & has been through a challenging time with her health. She now appreciates that you've got to take things day by day, minute by minute & wait for your brain to catch up with your heart, then you will find the beautiful things in life again. Debbie is a great believer in positive thinking & you will find many quotes linked to her painting galleries which you may find life enriching.
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She has travelled on several expeditions to the remote game reserves of Botswana, on safaris organised by the wildlife artist, Pip McGarry. Botswana is an eerie dusty timeless wilderness. Visiting the Okavango Delta, Savute and Chobe provided her with memories and friends that will last a life time. Botswana On her latest safari she experienced the thrill of walking with lions in Zimbabwe & also came face to face with a leopard while hanging on to the roof of a safari truck in Moremi. Nearer to home she has a great fondness for Marwell Wildife & has treasured memories of a magical sunset shared with a dear friend & the Marwell Cheetah cubs.
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Debbie has overcome many challenges & discovered "You can gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really face up to your fears & are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this challenge, I can take the next thing that comes along.' You can improve your well being so much by doing the thing you think you cannot do."Life for her is often very much like drawing without an eraser, you never know quite how life is going to turn out but there is no going back, & there should be no regrets.
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Her enthusiasm has enabled her to become a committee member of the Marwell International Wildlife Art Society, the largest (and friendliest) wildlife art society in Europe. She has helped MIWAS raise many thousands of pounds for Marwell’s conservation causes, & also EAZA and WWF. She also helps out as an official Marwell Wildlife volunteer when time permits. She believes whole heartedly in the quote she once read that said "we could all learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors....but they all exist very nicely in the same box".
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Debbie really appreciates the help & encouragement she has received from her beloved Mum & Dad. She has been inspired by the wonderful talents of Pip McGarry, Janet Ackerman, Helen Brown, Sandra Read, Kim Thompson, Julie Longdon, Anne Squires, Anne Swatton & all the other brilliant artists at Marwell.
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She is at a time in her life that’s she is of the opinion that perhaps beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art. Debbie has been blessed by having so many true friends who have all so kindly held out there hands & truly touched her heart.
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She has exhibited at the annual Marwell International Wildlife Art exhibition for ten years and successfully sold many paintings and commissions. Marwell Wildlife has captured her imagination & she would like to think that many people will be so encouraged by the annual exhibition they might think more about wildlife conservation & perhaps even pick up a brush themselves.
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As human beings, our job in life is to help people realize how rare and valuable each one of us really is, that each of us has something that no one else has-or ever will have-something inside that is unique to all time. It's our job to encourage each other to discover that uniqueness and to provide ways of developing its expression.
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Discovering the truth about ourselves is very much a lifetime's work, but with Gods blessing, it is well worth the effort. Debbie has found from her life experiences nothing can bring you peace but yourself. As she sometimes struggles along her pathway in life she focuses on the wise words of Martin Luther King Jr.
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“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that".
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My thoughts & prayers go out to all our friends. I value our friendships so very much.
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Happy Painting,
Debbie
