Wildlife artist Tony Forrest was interested in painting and drawing from a young age and studied technical art in college, but it wasn’t until he saw the work of wildlife artist David Shepherd that he found his true artistic calling. After school, Forrest worked in advertising and then in galleries around Bournemouth, where he began to focus on painting. In 1990, he dedicated himself to wildlife painting full time and had his first solo exhibition of paintings, which sold out. Soon, Forrest began taking regular trips to Africa, where he would take photos and search for inspiration for his paintings.