My name is Duncan West, I am a professional artist based in West Sussex. I live with my family, and rescue dog Larni, in Petworth, and I am lucky enough to be surrounded by beautiful countryside, farmland and villages; as well as the animals that live there.

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I have enjoyed drawing since very young, and have always loved pets, wildlife, and the countryside, so combining these things to create artworks made perfect sense. I first realised the effect that a good portrait of a loved pet can have when my sister asked me to draw her horse, Libby, and my brother then wanted a memorial portrait of his cat Socks for his children, and their responses to the finished portraits. I get a real ‘buzz’ when starting a new portrait, as I enjoy the challenge of capturing the specific character and features of each animal, as well as appreciating what the finished portrait means to the recipient.

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Along with guidance from my art tutor, Kate Tugwell, I have developed my style whilst learning how to use the various mediums to their full potential. High quality art materials are expensive, but well worth it to achieve a quality work of art.

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My Ink & Wash art allows me to use a looser, more dynamic style, and I enjoy experimenting with different finishes and techniques. It is my preferred method for capturing buildings and farm animas. I really enjoy drawing and painting local buildings, and look to capture the character of a building or scene as much as I do when drawing an animal. All of my architecture paintings are made using my own photographs.

 

I produce all of my art freehand, preferring not to trace the image, as I believe that this results in a more characterful portrait. Tracing is often used to produce photo-realistic art, in that case why not just frame your photo?