Kerry Mann is a pet portrait and wildlife artist based in Howick, South Africa. Working in pastel, I enjoy the challenge of creating realistic paintings to portray the life, personality and expression of each animal. Each art commission is an opportunity for me to get to know the subject intimately and my goal is that the observer appreciates the beauty of the animal through my expression.  I strive to create art that speaks. My commissions are done with PanPastels and top quality pastel pencils on archival paper or Pastelmat board .

Born in Salisbury, Rhodesia in 1973. I have always been captivated by animals and nature. I grew up riding horses and have been fortunate to have always had animals in my life. I was an equine stud manager and graphic designer for a horse feed mill for several years, however my career as a professional artist is just beginning. I support the #bred4thewild Bearded vulture conservation breeding program in South Africa and I love to hike and rock climb.

I retain the right to use the image for advertising artistic services through printed adverts and digital media (e.g. Facebook, Instagram, website, etc.)

To commission your own pet portrait, you will need a really good quality headshot photograph of your pet.  It is particularly important to capture the character of our pet through their position or facial expression. Natural lighting, by a window, or preferably outdoors with no direct sunlight, would be the best way to achieve the perfect photograph of your pet. I need to be able to see your pet’s eyes clearly.  The better the photograph, the better the drawing. If you are unsure of whether your photograph is good enough or not, please feel free to email me a selection of the ones you have, so that I can offer any advice in capturing a better photograph and check if they are suitable to draw from. Holding a treat or their favourite toy by your camera can be a good way of grabbing their attention. This may be a two-man job!

I enjoy the variation of painting wildlife in between my pet portrait commissions and would gladly discuss a particular wildlife painting commission you may have in mind. Please feel free to contact me at bykikidee@gmail.com.

I have a small selection of original pastel wildlife art pieces for sale here on the website. This gallery is being constantly updated as new artworks become available. All originals are accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. To receive notifications on my latest pictures as they become available please sign up to my mailing list below.