Biography

Matthew Bell is 31 years old, and an entirely self-taught South African wildlife artist who uses pencil as his medium

He was born in Nelspruit, Mpumalanga and lived there most of his life before relocating to Cape Town in 2014 at the age of 25

In the past he drew only occasionally as a hobby, selling the odd piece of art here and there. However, over time his art became increasingly popular and as demand grew Matthew has since sold many thousands of prints and originals to buyers from all across the globe

He was always a perfectionist with an eye for the most intricate of details and this is evident in the quality of his work. This is also why pencil is his preferred medium as it enables him to capture the finest details in his subjects, thus creating realistic and ‘pleasing to the eye’ works of art where 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 animals, birds and trees of Southern Africa