Christopher Cox

Christopher Anthony Cox is among the few recognized wildlife artists in the Caribbean. A St. Lucian born in Toronto, Canada on May 21, 1967, he currently makes his home in St. Lucia with his wife and 3 children.

Christopher's work has won him wide acclaim in his native St. Lucia and abroad. His depictions have been featured in a variety of publications, most notably in A Guide to the Birds of the West Indies, Raffaele et al. (1988), published by Princeton University Press.

Christopher started painting wildlife and environmental themes when he joined the St. Lucia Forestry Department over 20 years ago. Countless hours of fieldwork, in some of the most remote forests on the island, awakened his appreciation for the stunning diversity of wild plants and animals. His keen love for nature and interest in conservation has been the inspiration behind his work.

Christopher works primarily in watercolour and acrylic, sometimes combining the two media to capture the subtlety of birds plumages and the muted play of light and shadow in the forest environment.

He draws his inspiration from renowned wildlife artists that include Robert Bateman, Don R. Eckelberry and John James Audubon.

- What art means ...

Christopher attended St. Marys College from 1978 to 1983 and under the tutelage of Luigi St. Omer (son of renowned St. Lucian artist Dustan St. Omer) was among the founding members of the St. Marys College Art Troupe in 1978. While at school Christopher claimed several titles from competitions, both nationally and internationally (including the Cable & Wireless art competition, the FAO World Food Day poster competition, International Taiwanese Childrens art competition). Following St. Marys he went on to the St. Lucia A Level College (now the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College).

Christopher joined the Forestry Division in 1985 where he was assigned tour guide duty on the Central Rainforest Trail, among the first eco-tourism sites on St. Lucia. It was then he honed in on wildlife illustration and assisted in production of environmental education material of the Forestry Division. He went on the University of New Brunswick (Canada) in 1987 to pursue a 5-year BSc degree in Forest Resources Management. During these years did very little artwork except to compete in a competition hosted by the university in which he won first prize.

On returning to St. Lucia he became Assistant Chief Forestry Officer (Operations) whe...