Brennan Seward (b. 1983) is an artist from post-independence Zimbabwe. His work is inspired by natural history and the great naturalist illustrators of a bygone era (15th-19th century). At 17 he sold his first drawing at Christie’s in London.  From there, he continued his training, learning from masters in watercolor and ink at the Sichuan Institute of Fine Art in Chongqing, China. His work hangs in a number of private and public collections around the world including First Rand Group, the largest corporate art collection in Africa.  He has held exhibitions in cities across the USA, the UK, China, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

Brennan borrows inspiration from Japanese woodcuts and Chinese inks as well as from master illustrators like Durer, Audubon and Kuhnert. His high contrast ink illustrations incorporate pointillism, stippling, and negative space where the white of the paper becomes as important as the actual layering of ink itself. He draws on the precision draughtsmanship of the woodcuts and etchings of his predecessors but on a much grander scale. The impressive size of Brennan’s pen and ink and his expressive use of large-scale watercolors create a unique visual experience. It begs the viewer to look closer and perhaps think more about our relationship with the ever-diminishing natural world. 

Whilst he began his career painting wildlife as a teenager in the Africa bushveld, his work has evolved into depicting the world through flora, fauna, landscape, architecture, and people. Evident in his artwork is his wealth of knowledge about animal life and his fascination with human culture.  The human-animal relationship is a consistent theme in his thought process as he strives to create these elaborate works contemplating what the future holds for our wild places and the creatures within them. .

He continually travels between his home in Pennsylvania, USA, Bangkok and Africa.

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

Christie’s, South Kensington, London, Art for Survival-  2002, 2004, 2007.
Tryon Gallery, London, Art for Survival-  2003, 2005.
P.W.A.F Thomasville, Georgia, U.S.A, 2004, 2015, 2016
Sichuan Institute of Fine Art - Chongqing, China 2007.
Everard Read Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa, Shift- 2011

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

Thomasville University, Georgia, U.S.A, 2003.
Johannesburg Zoo, Johannesburg, South Africa, Travels through Southern Africa-2005.
Johannesburg and Soweto in Ink, collection acquired by The First Rand Group- 2010.
Hellenic College Harare, Zimbabwe, Travels through North, East, and Southern Africa-2012.
Harare, Zimbabwe, Travels through India-2013.

Patrick Mavros, Fulham, London, A black and white Safari through East Africa-2014.