There's almost no distance Matt won't go, almost nothing he won't do, to learn all he can about his subjects to make his paintings of wild animals as accurate and lifelike as possible. He has been bitten by snapping turtles. He’s caught alligators with his bare hands from a kayak. He’s camped in the Everglades, traveled to Madagascar and Central America and has been all across the US visiting 48 states. He’s delighted in it all. He is grateful to use his talent to not only raise awareness about these gorgeous animals, but help keep them alive on the planet we human newcomers are lucky to share with them.
This series of original acrylic work was created for THE BOOK OF TURTLES, illustrated by Matt Patterson and written by national bestselling author Sy Montgomery, published by HarperCollins. Turtles are incredibly surprising animals. Some turtles have necks longer than their bodies; some have heads that won’t fit into their shells; some have googly eyes that can move independently from one another. They arose with the very first dinosaurs over 240 million years ago, and are older than the first crocodiles. Some can sprint up to 15mph and some can live well over 200 years. The first animals to orbit the moon were…….turtles!
World Turtle
Medium: Acrylic on vellum illustration board
Frame: Light wood, wired on the back
Western New Hampshire, USA
There's almost no distance Matt won't go, almost nothing he won't do, to learn all he can about his subjects to make his paintings of wild animals as accurate and lifelike as possible. He has been bitten by snapping turtles. He’s caught alligators with his bare hands from a kayak. He’s camped in the Everglades, traveled to Madagascar and Central America and has been all across the US visiting 48 states. He’s delighted in it all. He is grateful to use his talent to not only raise awareness about these gorgeous animals, but help keep them alive on the planet we human newcomers are lucky to share with them.
This series of original acrylic work was created for THE BOOK OF TURTLES, illustrated by Matt Patterson and written by national bestselling author Sy Montgomery, published by HarperCollins. Turtles are incredibly surprising animals. Some turtles have necks longer than their bodies; some have heads that won’t fit into their shells; some have googly eyes that can move independently from one another. They arose with the very first dinosaurs over 240 million years ago, and are older than the first crocodiles. Some can sprint up to 15mph and some can live well over 200 years. The first animals to orbit the moon were…….turtles!