New Original Painting added May 19th check out Latest Original Paintings Western Morning News  Picture of the Week Thursday17th May Alert – Weasel Continuing my series of small life-sized portraits of the South West's natural world, here we have one of my favourite mammals, the weasel. Under normal circumstances the only time you are likely to see this attractive little animal is when it dashes across the road or track in front of you but some years ago now my wife Ann hand raised one that had been caught by a cat. It was smaller than the size of my thumb with its eyes not yet open. We really did not think it would survive, but it did and what nearly always happens in these circumstances it became imprinted on us. With no parent to teach it hunting skills it would not have survived in the wild. However, it settled in with us so I provided a large fish tank in my Studio as a base, sleeping quarters and feeding station with the rest of the room as its somewhat unusual habitat. 'Weez', as we named him, became a firm favourite with the whole family, providing hours of entertainment and was of course a great asset to my artwork as reference even though he was a time waster. He used to climb up on my painting table and peep out from amongst my pots of brushes as if checking up on me which always resulted in me stopping work to watch him!

This website has been created exclusively so that  Wildlife and Countryside Artist Dick Twinney can share his passion for the natural history, coast and countryside of his part of the world through his art.

To also make available here online the purchase of limited edition prints that have appeared each Thursday in  his Western Morning News feature 'The Art of Dick Twinney'

    Welcome, 'Browse at your leisure'

Dick Twinney has loved the Westcountry's wildlife and countryside for as long as he can remember. Originally from Devon, he has now lived and worked in Cornwall for over 38 years. Although his paintings, prints, giftware and books have spread world-wide he still thinks of himself as a local artist   passionate about the Westcountry, especially Cornwall and Devon.

The magnificent scenery and the rich and varied wildlife from the high tors of  Dartmoor to the tip of Lands End all provide a constant source of inspiration and never ending material for Dick's highly detailed traditional artwork.

A real countryman, Dick always spends several hours each day in the 'field' walking with the family dogs over the moors, along the coast or in the local woods, observing wildlife in it's natural habitat, constantly on the look-out for that 'special' chance encounter that can be recreated onto canvas.