Paul Augustinus
Born at Haderslev in Denmark in 1952, Paul Augustinus was raised and schooled in Mombasa, Kenya. He has travelled extensively in Africa - Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Zanzibar, Egypt, Mozambique and Sudan. However it is his love of the wilderness areas of Botswana and Namibia that have inspired him the most. In his own words, "I am not an artist who has looked for a subject to paint. Rather it is the romance of wild game country that has made me want to be an artist".Self-taught as an artist, his university training was in geology. Augustinus´s talent as a painter led him to take up painting full-time. His pencil sketches charmingly capture the animals and life in the bush. In addition to this, he is an expert photographer. In 1978 he first encountered the Okavango and spent the next eight years there observing the area and collating information for a book. "Botswana, A Brush With The Wild", was published in 1987 by Acorn Books, and is illustrated with his own paintings,sketches and photographs. This book was so successful that it was reprinted in 1989 and revised in 1992. The book was launched at The Everard Read Gallery along with a solo exhibition of his paintings.
Two further solo exhibitions have followed. Commissions include eight postage stamps for Botswana - part of a special series for the World Wildlife Fund Omnibus edition of Endangered Wildlife. He has written numerous magazine articles on both natural history and early exploration of Africa, and his paintings have been featured in many magazines such as "American Artist", "Game Coin" and"Safari". He has also had twelve signed and numbered limited edition prints published in the UnitedStates. Augustinus was commissioned by Rowland Ward Publications to produce a series of four paintings for a limited edition portfolio entitled "Rowland Ward´s Africa".
During 1990, Augustinus and his wife, Clarissa, who is an applied anthropologist, spent a number of months camping in the wildest part of Alaska where Augustinus sketched the indigenous wildlife. In 1992 he was the subject of a documentary made by Danish National Television, which was broadcast in several European countries. In 1993, three of his paintings were successfully auctioned at Christie´s in London. Of his work, Nicholas Hammond, the "Wildlife Art News" columnist commented, "Augustinus was more successful in sharing his experience than many better known names…each painting sold for more than its upper estimate". Augustinus’ work sold again at their 1995 Wildlife Art Auction. In the last five years the Augustinuses have travelled extensively in Namibia, mainly to the Kaokoveld, from Uniab to the Kunene mouth, in preparation for his next book, "Namibian Desert Adventure". They are also planning a seven-month foot safari into the northern rainforest of the Congo, where Paul hopes to study and paint undisturbed populations of forest elephants, gorilla and bongo.
Paul Augustinus has exhibited his paintings in Francistown, Las Vegas, Denver, San Antonio, Houston, Brisbane and Johannesburg, and his works hang in private collections in the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Australia and throughout South Africa. His paintings take a fresh look at Africa, the immediacy of his work coming from the fact that he spends so much time living and painting in the bush.
