Hello, my name is Andy Gilpin, a self taught artist living in the North of England.

Welcome to my website, I hope you enjoy!

After painting for leisure for a number of years I decided to focus my efforts on developing my art and at the same time promote and support the conservation of apes and the habitats in which they live. During my career of 20+ years supporting young people in education I always had a niggle to pursue my artistic interest but could never find the direction I wanted to go in with it…….. until now :)

My work is inspired by my growing fascination with these amazing apes, the privilege I have had seeing them in the wild during my travels in Borneo and Africa and a growing understanding of the huge challenges facing them. Challenges to survival that exist largely due to the footprints left on the world by people. In supporting the conservation of apes we also support the protection of extremely valuable ecosystems that help keep the planet healthy for us all.

I have always been fascinated by portraiture and realism and spent many hours in art galleries looking at other peoples paintings thinking ‘how do they do that?'. This admiration of others work continues to drive me to improve and develop my art. I love the process of painting, starting with the first mark on a blank canvas and seeing where it ends up and the learning never stops!

Apes are our closest cousins in the natural world and for me are such fascinating subjects, individuals rich in personality and character. I always strive to capture this in my paintings and evoke a sense of being able to relate and connect.

I am also massively inspired by some of the non-profit organisations working with tireless commitment to protect apes and their natural habitats.

I have pledged to donate 30% of proceeds from every sale to three very special organisations - Borneo Orangutan Survival (BOS) UK, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection (LCRP) and the Gorilla Doctors. Click on the links below to find out more about their amazing work: