Wonder of Antarctica
Artist Shelly Perkins was invited to travel to Earth’s southernmost continent to observe and draw its wildlife and landscapes. Here we present artwork from her polar adventure.
Artwork from an exciting polar adventure
F riends of The Scott Polar Research Institute and Bonhams invited me to travel to Antarctica in January 2017 to be their artist-in-residence. My trip would take me on a six-week voyage with the Royal Navy aboard their ice-breaking ship, HMS Protector, down to the spectacular western peninsular.
The aim of the residency was to use art to raise awareness of major global warming issues that are impacting the vast continent and to encourage people to be more empathetic towards it. It was hoped that my contemporary style will engage a more diverse audience. My task was to showcase the beauty and fragility of this remote part of the world to those who may have very little connection with it.
My journey began at RAF Brize Norton where I boarded a plane bound for the Falkland Islands and from then on I was immersed in military life. Although I was a civilian visitor, I very much lived as a member of the ship’s company, quickly falling into the pattern of life on board a naval vessel. My days were spent sketching and photographing wildlife and landscapes on and off HMS Protector and getting involved in the crew’s activities when possible.
The vast range of birds and mammals found in the Antarctic combined with the otherworldly beauty of the ice and mountains frequently rendered me speechless.