David Bucklow spent his childhood on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal, where he started sketching and drawing from a young age. His intense love of wildlife became evident at age five when he presented his parents with a beautiful crayon sketch of a lion. This early Buckow work still hangs on the wall of his parent's home!
David ventured into portraiture, devoting his spare time to improving his artistic abilities by doing portraits and experimenting with pastel and pencil sketches. Despite being talented in this art form, David started to feel that he should again devote his time and talents to painting wildlife, a decision he has never regretted.
After moving to Cape Town Bucklow discovered his exceptional talent as a photo-realistic painter. His raw talent as a self-taught artist soon evolved into his signature style featuring wildlife, landscapes, and seascapes. Over time, he has continued to grow his technique and treatment of detail to the delight of international collectors.
Bucklow works from photographs and uses a selection of acrylics on canvas to capture the minute details of his subjects, finishing the work by coating the canvas to give it extra luster.
"When you get the eyes just right, the artwork comes to life, and you can almost feel the animal's stare as if she is watching your every move – as they do in the wild. It's quite special and takes me back to the wild bush every time," says Bucklow.