Description
Don Heywood, a graduate of the Leicester College of Art and a lecturer at the London College of Printing, is a distinguished and widely exhibited British painter specializing in portraits and wildlife studies. He made his impact on the art world with portrait commissions of famous British people, the most significant being the commission in 1992 of a life-size portrait of Queen Elizabeth II of England. However, Don often visited and travelled extensively in South Africa, where he was fascinated by the variety and artistry of traditional dress of black Southern African people, painting fifty full colour portraits illustrating the diverse wealth of costume in African cultures. This resulted in the creation of a record for posterity of customs in danger of vanishing under the pressures of rapidly changing societies. The collection, entitled ‘Vanishing Faces’ is the only such comprehensive work painted by one artist. Don also fell in love with wildlife, began painting animals and became involved in wildlife conservation in South Africa and the US. He painted 12 of the endangered species studied by the Smithsonian Institute’s Conservation and Research Center for their 25th Anniversary. Limited editions were made from the originals and proceeds from sales were donated to the Institute. A major exhibit of the originals was held at Addison/Ripley Gallery in Washington D.C. In South Africa, Don was a founder member of the Peace Parks Foundation, a Patron of Endangered Wildlife Trust and was very committed to Cheetah Conservation. He published two books featuring his paintings – Vanishing Faces and Wildlife Portraits – the first copies of which were accepted by HM Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
