Oxley is passionate about conservation, and is involved with several projects, including a hugely popular collaboration with photographer Alfie Bowen, which benefitted The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent. About the endangered species he paints, Robert says: 'Although they do face adverse threats, we can take solace in the fact that through combined efforts these animals are now thriving.' He is a hugely positive person who likes to focus on the successes in the world of wildlife conservation, and his work illustrates this perfectly.

Echoing his passion for conservation, Oxley's artworks are printed on a 100% cotton canvas, with the pine stretcher bars sourced from sustainably managed forests.

As well as lions, tigers and elephants, he has also portrayed British animals, pandas, birds and even the cast of The Muppets! But it's his trademark big cats for which he is best known, paintings which transport viewers into a fantastical realm where animals take on a new dimension of consciousness. He describes these magnificent creatures as a "stealthy power that lurks in the shadows, ready to strike its prey."

Commenting on his Triumph series, which featured lions, tigers and gorillas, he said: 'I wanted to use these iconic species in this collection to portray the family bond, kinship and soulful connection we have with these animals. I believe the titles symbolise primal instincts that we all have within us', adding: 'I don't need an excuse to paint tigers; I could paint them every day!'

His studio is filled to the brim with natural history books and reference photography, which he reworks and reimagines for his original paintings. His signature 'drip' effect is created by letting paint run down the canvas before building up colour with successively thicker application. This gives his work a hallucinatory feel.

"The more I can throw down and the more abstract the shapes are, the more enjoyable the battle is,' says Oxley about his practice. 'I've heard that the Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock said that if he planned a painting, he'd never make a mark. My work depends on spontaneity and a free association: I don't really need an inspiration; I just do it." While painting, he listens to music, natural history documentaries and true crime podcasts.

Along with his conservation work - which includes donating an artwork to raise money for the Koala Hospital in New South Wales after the Australian bushfires - his passion for learning more about the environment feeds into every piece he paints.