Sophie Walbeoffe

Paintings

Please contact the Gallery for prices and availability of paintings (Tel: 020 7235 9667)

Biography

"I first had the pleasure of meeting Sophie Walbeoffe at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya. I was there to witness one of Africa's flagship conservation stories, which has been supported by Tusk for over a decade. Sophie on the other hand was staying there, as she often does, to paint 'in situ' the magnificent landscape of this remarkable part of Africa.

During dinner I stupidly let on that I was a keen artist myself, and to my huge embarrassment Sophie insisted that I join her at first light in the bush to catch on canvass the stunning views across Lewa and Samburu in the distance - a subject that has often inspired her work. Whilst my own offering was truly pathetic, Sophie quickly demonstrated her extraordinary ability to capture the unique colours, landscapes and atmosphere which make Africa, and northern Kenya in particular, so special.

This exhibition of paintings brings together an impressive andvibrant collection of work, which is so evocative of the African continent. Don't miss it!"

Charlie Mayhew MBE
Tusk Trust

Sophie Walbeoffe has lived and worked in Kenya as an artist for the last 19 years and draws her inspiration from her extraordinary surroundings. Her work is an eclectic mix of styles and mediums, her subjects range from the stunning African landscapes and wildlife to the colourful domestic scenes of living in a developing country. Painting for the International Red Cross in East Africa Sophie also paints scenes from the most rural, sometimes damaged and often forgotten areas of East Africa. Her styles vary according to her subject and her mood but her paintings and ink sketches always capture the vibrancy, colour and spirit of Africa.

Sophie was born and brought up in England and trained at the Wimbledon School of Art. She arrived in Kenya in 1988 as official artist on the Operation Raleigh expedition. Her job was to record on canvas the different aspects of the trip and despite the culture shock (she lived in a tent in the bush for weeks) she not only fell in love with Africa, but also with her husband-to-be, Piers. A camel specialist, Piers was undertaking research at the time for Farm Africa, an NGO based in the Northern Frontier District. During the course of this project Piers had been 'adopted' by a native Samburu family, leading Sophie to believe she saved him from tribal life by marrying him in 1989! Her early years in Kenya were spent travelling throughout the NFD with Piers, often living in a tent, miles from anywhere, their most frequent visitor being the great latter-day explorer of the Dark Continent, Wilfred Thesiger.

After many years living and working in the remote north, Sophie and Piers moved to Nairobi in 2000 with their son Jasper and daughter Lara. They brought with them Piers' herd of 50 camels, enabling him to continue his important research into introducing new livestock farming methods to the arid north of Kenya. As a result of his work Piers was appointed livestock specialist for the Horn of Africa by the International Red Cross in 2004.

Sophie also works closely with the International Red Cross - this takes her back to the remote rural areas of Kenya where ICRC have on-going projects. Her paintings of pastoralist life which revolve around the livestock, boreholes, wells and refugee camps supported by the ICRC are a delightful, artistic record of the work and successes of ICRC in some of the poorest parts of rural East Africa.

Never one to shy away from a challenge, one of Sophie's most extraordinary achievements to-date has been to climb both Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro for an exhibition called Painting in the Clouds (2004). During the climb whisky from her hip flask had to be added to her watercolours to prevent them freezing - a fortifying addition to the palette!

Sophie is well-known in Kenya for her beautiful paintings which can be found hanging in prestigious locations throughout the country - in the famous Muthaiga Club, at the British High Commission, in many of Kenya's luxury lodges and even the Nairobi Orchestra where she plays the cello. She will also be exhibiting at the Kenyan Museum of Modern Art (RaMoMA) in Nairobi this December. However, her artistic talent has been recognized far beyond East Africa. She has exhibited in the United Kingdom and in the Middle East successfully on a number of occasions and her work continues to go from strength to strength. We believe this 2008 body of paintings to be exceptional and hope you will be as overwhelmed as we are.

Exhibitions

1985

Adam Gallery, Kennington, London

1986

Calgary, Canada
'Paintings from Venice' - Stephen Bartley Gallery, London

1987

'An Adventurer's Portfolio' - Stephen Bartley Gallery, London

1988

'Paintings from the Middle East' - Stephen Bartley Gallery, London

1989

'Paintings from Kenya' - Stephen Bartley Gallery, London
'Watercolours Through Kenya' - British Council, Nairobi, Kenya

1991

'Paintings and Drawings' - Chelsea Arts Club, London
'Recent Paintings' - Dorchester Gallery, Dorset

1992

'An Exhibition of Paintings' - The Wine Gallery, London
'Under Northumberland Skies' - Phillips, St. Mary's, Gateshead

1995

'Rumours of Rain' - John Adams Fine Art Gallery, London SW1

2000

'Colour Shadows' - John Adams Fine Art Gallery, London SW1

2001

'Camels in my Garden' - Curated by Ramoma, Nairobi, Kenya

2002

'Painting in the Clouds' - John Adams Fine Art Gallery, London SW1
'Painting in the Clouds' - Curated by Ramoma, Nairobi, Kenya

2005

'Arabia Meets Africa' - The Majlis gallery, Dubai, UAE

2006

'Camels and Castles' - Henshelwood Gallery, Newcaslte

2007

'Blueness Ebbs' - RaMoMA (Museum of Modern Art), Nairobi, Kenya

Publications

Sophie's paintings have been published in the following books:

'Painting Interiors' by Jenny Rodwell. Published in 1989 by Collins.
'Chelsea Arts Club Diary 1989, 2000'
'Art for Sale' published by the Guardian magazine, 1992 and 1993
'Camel Production' published by FARM-Africa, 1994
'Camel Diseases' published by FARM-Africa, 1998
The Week, March 2002
'Artistic Perception of Home', Maison Francaise in Nairobi, Kenya 2002
'Hogs Tale', 2003 (an illustration of Karen Blixon's 'Wambui')