Robert Oxley

Master wildlife artist Robert Oxley’s Summer 2023 collection of originals and limited editions include three magnificent big cats, rendered in incredible greens, and available in two sizes for the first time. ‘Malachite’ the lion, ‘Sage’ the leopard and ‘Basil’ the tiger all began for Robert Oxley by exploring working with the colour green. The portrayal of the big cats in camouflage colouring is a perfect example of Robert’s art transcending conventional representation, transporting viewers into a fantastical realm where animals take on a new dimension of consciousness.

The animals in Robert Oxley’s collections perfectly illustrate his expressive brushwork, which is energetic and fluid, giving his paintings a sense of movement and spontaneity. The works, painted with a psychedelic flourish of dripwork and intense colour, are a blend of surrealism and expressionism, which adds to the emotional impact of his artwork, giving life and movement to his subjects.

Robert’s affinity to nature and wildlife spans across every facet of his life and often into his downtime; whilst he was creating the new works, he was reading the book ‘Being a Beast’ by Charles Foster, which very much chimed with Robert’s desire to make us feel a unity with animals. In the book, Foster embarks on an unconventional and immersive exploration of the animal world by attempting to live like five different animals.

"One of the animals he decided to be was a fox, so he went out into the hillsides and burrowed into them, eating earthworms and rootling around in rubbish. It’s a very eccentric book, but the author wants to challenge the way we think about the natural world and make us more connected with other species.”

Robert Oxley, master of animal portraiture, returns with Triumph, a thrilling new collection for 2023 featuring iconic wild animals. The series features a lion, tiger and gorilla, all painted in Robert’s signature psychedelic style. Robert says he chose these animals “to portray a feeling of everlasting celebration and the feeling of comfort that these majestic and imposing animals share the world with us”. Robert’s Triumph pieces use negative space, so that the viewer truly focuses on the mighty animals in this celebratory series.

We’re hugely proud to announce that in a first for Castle Fine Art, two of our wildlife artists have collaborated on a new piece. This limited edition work combines the stunning wildlife photography skills of Alfie Bowen with Robert Oxley’s signature kaleidoscopic use of colour and form. The result is ‘Baikal’ - Alfie’s captivating photograph of a white tiger looking straight down his camera lens, completed with Robert’s signature psychedelic paint style, applied sympathetically to the image.

We release this piece in collaboration with The Big Cat Sanctuary, where Alfie and Robert met, and fell in love with, one of the sanctuary’s most popular and famous residents. Baikal is a gorgeous white tiger named after Lake Baikal in Siberia who has been at home at The Big Cat Sanctuary since 2020. Castle Fine Art will donate £100 from every sale to the Sanctuary.

Robert Oxley says: “It's an honour for me to be involved with The Big Cat Sanctuary. Through partnerships, initiatives and vital research the sanctuary helps protect the most endangered cats in the world.”

The Big Cat Sanctuary is a centre dedicated to preventing endangered cats from extinction and promoting natural behaviour among rescued and resident cats. The sanctuary is home to many different wild cat species and aims to assist in the conservation of the world's endangered wild cats while also preserving breeding integrity.

Says Robert Oxley: “I am very proud to be able to help raise funds for The Big Cat Sanctuary and help them continue to provide a safe haven for endangered species and secure a future for the world’s most vulnerable cats.” Alfie Bowen adds: "The tiger is one of nature's masterpieces and it is always an honour to have one in front of my camera lens. I will never forget those moments we spent with Baikal"

This 2022 installation of Robert Oxley's collection The Dark Knights: Close Encounters sees the artist transform three big cats into 'ethereal, astral' beings through his kaleidoscopic use of colour and form. Inspired by mythology and Arthurian legend, these limited edition artworks harness the powerful image of a lion, tiger and jaguar to create artworks that comment on the simultaneous strength and vulnerability of some of our endangered species of big cat. Focussing on the face, Robert painted eyes of the animals first, keeping them at his eye level as he finished the piece so as to always "have dialogue with the animal".

This showstopping selection of original and limited edition works captures the artist's childhood memories of The Muppet Show, with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear and Animal all taking centre stage. Available individually or as a set of five, these stunning hand-varnished prints are a nostalgic interpretation of one of the most iconic TV series of all time.

As the second instalment from The Dark Knights, this contemporary collection depicts three of the planet's deadliest wild cats: a tiger, leopard and snow leopard. Robert delved into Chinese, Sanskrit and Jewish mythology to bring these tales of darkness and mystery to life. His shadowed cats symbolise both the power of the night and universal fears, encompassing demonic figures and female deities. Unlike the first instalment - which featured a neon tiger, lion and jaguar - the collection also has a self-described 'heavy metal thunder' colour palette, with deep purples and blacks accented with yellows and greens for a moonlit feel.

Each hand-signed, limited edition artwork is printed on a 100% cotton canvas with a high-gloss acrylic giclée varnish for an incredible depth of colour. By focusing on the animal's body, Robert has created the illusion that they are about to step out of the canvas. 

Dark, deadly and dangerous, the first instalment of The Dark Knights by the wildlife artist Robert Oxley saw him return to his neon colour palette and adopt an exciting new perspective. Instead of focusing on the face, Robert painted the animals' full body, and the effect is startling: the predators step out of the darkness and seemingly off the canvas.

The painter, whose art appeared in a January 2021 episode of Channel 4's Grand Designs, took inspiration from natural history and medieval legend for these hand-varnished artworks. To mirror the 2D effect of Robert's original artworks, our specialist atelier team carefully reimagined the painting using state-of-the-art techniques. The original artworks are canvas 100% cotton, creating a premium, high-definition effect, while the high-gloss acrylic giclée varnish offers a great depth of colour and extra UV protection.