About

Matthew Bell, born in Nelspruit, South Africa in 1989, is an entirely self-taught wildlife artist who uses only pencil to create his artwork. He lived in Nelspruit for most of his life before relocating to Cape Town in 2014 at the age of 25. In the past, drawing was just a hobby for Matthew and he would sell the odd original here and there when he had one available. However, he soon realised that his art was becoming extremely popular and the demand for both prints and originals was growing. After moving to Cape Town he was then able to become a full-time artist and now has his work displayed in a variety of shops and galleries with buyers from across the globe. He was always a perfectionist with an eye for detail and this is evident in the intricacy of his work. This is also why the pencil is his preferred medium. With this, he can capture the finest details in his subjects and has full control of each of those details in every drawing where the focus is on creating realistic and ‘pleasing to the eye’ works of art. Matthew's drawings do not have a background, and the effect of the negative space is as important to the aesthetics of the artwork as the subject itself. He has always had a love for the natural world and after a life spent in and around the African bushveld, inspiration for his drawings was always close at hand. The subjects of his drawings are the unique variety of animals, birds and trees of Southern Africa. An extensive collection of Matthews prints are available.