Shropshire artist has his animal creations displayed in Kenyan safari lodge

Simon Stevenson, from the village of Beckbury, has struck a deal with the Elewana Tortilis Camp in Amboseli who will be displaying and selling his work to tourists.

The 67-year-old artist, who was born in Tanzania, says he is "passionate" about the African continent and visits regularly.

"I was born in Tanzania and pretty much grew up in the bush like Mowgli. I have such fond memories of Africa and it is my massive passion."

He said that having grown up with elephants, cheetahs and lions on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, he is now painting these animals of his childhood, but said his wildlife artwork is not always easy to sell.

"The problem with wildlife art is that it is not the most sought-after artwork in the art world," he admitted. "So I thought one of the best ways to get my art in front of people is showing it to them after they have been to see the wildlife."

Last month, Simon returned to Africa and handed over some of his artwork to lodge owner Graeme Smith, who will be displaying them. They will be made available for tourists to buy but he said they were not just sketches of random animals.

"All the animals I know personally," he said. "I visit Kenya frequently and these are animals that people can see out there. I like to get to know the animals. My wife helps take photographs and videos then when I get back to Shropshire I begin work," he said.

He added that his art pieces, which take around two weeks to create, fetch between £2,500 and £5,000.

"It is such a wonderful feeling to have my art in Africa," he said.

Anybody interested in Simon's work can visit his website at: abrushwithafrica.com.