A Guide to the work of Tony Karpinski

Tony Karpinski is a British artist, born in London in 1965. Karpinski began painting and drawing at a young age, impressing in his youth with his advanced and nuanced work. He went on to work as an illustrator in his early career, from 1985 to 1995, before being inspired to move to wildlife art, following a transformative trip to Africa in 1995. Since this point, Karpinski has depicted a range of different scenes, landscapes, and forms, and has received much acclaim for his artwork. Karpinski’s work has been offered at auction many times, with his most expensive painting selling for $8,418 in 2007, entitled “Bull Elephant Amboseli Game Reserve Kenya”.

^{Tony Karpinski (British b. 1965), Leopard Drinking}

^{Sold for £4,500}

Karpinski’s range

Wildlife and nature – As mentioned, Karpinski spent a lot of time in South Africa, forming a close friendship with Carl Olen, Head Ranger at the Kapama Game Reserve. This partnership has opened the door to new inspirations for Karpinski, able to see animals up-close, thanks to Olen’s expertise. Karpinski describes the “glowing vibrancy” he tries to create in his wildlife pieces, working to “keep a certain freshness and unlaboured feel to each image with easy flowing and minimal brush work”. This is well reflected in his 1998 work, ‘Young Elephants Playfighting’, which sold for £3,200 at an auction organised by Dawsons this year.

Venice – following a visit to Venice for an Anniversary with his wife, Karpinski quickly became enamoured with its architecture, inspired to pick up the brush and depict the Floating City. Karpinski beautifully uses light and shade to add character to the shimmering canal waters that pass between the buildings.

^{Tony Karpinski, Bull Elephants}

^{Sold for £4,200}

London – much of Karpinski’s later work is based around the city that he was born and raised in. Karpinski draws from the energy of the city, able to depict the business of the capital, while also effortlessly offering individual stories of the people that walk through it, upon the canvas. As Karpinski himself has said: “I live just outside of London now and going into town allows me to look at it with fresh eyes, seeing the smaller things that I could possibly overlook if I saw it day in day out.”

Nude portraits – while Karpinski focuses much of his work upon wildlife, he also pays close attention to depictions of the human body through nude portraits.

Bronze Sculptures – Alongside his painting, Karpinski has also made a recent venture into bronze sculpture work, offering a different direction for his artistic endeavours. Bronze sculptures also offer Karpinski the opportunity to dive further into depictions of the human form, as explored in his nude portraits.

 ^{Tony Karpinski , Lioness and Cub}

^{Sold for £3,800}

For appraisals or valuations on paintings by Tony Karpinski, we always recommend consulting with an expert. Here at Dawsons, we have a team of experienced and highly skilled Valuers who will provide an accurate and current market valuation. Should an item be consigned for sale with Dawsons, our very own in-house and dynamic marketing ensures that any artwork we are promoting reaches an audience of eager buyers and collectors across the globe, with the sole aim being to attain the best possible returns at auction for our clients.

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