NWE Mail article: Barrow artist’s red panda reaches international wildlife art final

I was featured in the local paper for becoming a finalist of Wildlife

Artist of the Year 2026, see below the full article.

A Cumbrian artist has reached the finals of a prestigious international competition.

Andy Currie-Scarr, originally from Barrow and now based in Lancaster, is a finalist in the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation’s Wildlife Artist of the Year 2026 for his painting Red Panda.

The competition is considered one of the highest honours in wildlife art, attracting nearly 1,500 entries from 60 countries this year.

Speaking about when he discovered he had been selected for the final, Mr Currie-Scarr said: "I could not believe my eyes when I read the email and was in tears when asking my fiancée to re-read the email to make sure it was real and not a fake as it arrived in my junk mail of all places.

"To say I was not only shocked but unbelievably exciting is not really giving the feeling justice."

A former art and design teacher at the local sixth form college, Mr Currie-Scarr transitioned to full-time art after leaving teaching in the summer of 2025.

His work focuses on endangered wildlife, creating mixed media pieces on reclaimed wood and driftwood.

He said: "I am drawn to reclaimed materials like wood and slate which are either thrown away or destined for firewood.

"Such interesting textures, shapes, colours, stains/marks and evidence of life or used for some purpose intrigues me and I think the weathered feel of these surfaces marries well with the plight the animals painted on these compositions suffer."

His Wildlife Artist of the Year finalist piece, Red Panda, is part of a larger series he is developing.

The series aims to raise awareness about endangered species and the environmental threats they face, with subjects including the chimpanzee, African wild dog and Amur leopard.

Each artwork is carefully constructed to ensure the animal depicted appears to coexist naturally with the reclaimed surface, making every piece unique.

Mr Currie-Scarr said: "Each piece in the collection is meticulously pieced together with driftwood so that the animals compliment and coexist with the surface they are painted on, making them unique, one of a kind and unrepeatable."

He uses acrylic paint as his primary medium, with additional details added using oil pastels and POSCA paint markers.

Mr Currie-Scarr described the competition as "the Oscar’s of international wildlife art" and said he had targeted it as a key goal in his business plan in September 2025.

He said: "To be a finalist alone is a huge achievement as the artists submitting are professional and highly recognised."

Red Panda is eligible for four awards: the People’s Choice Award, the Best in Category Award for Endangered Species, the First Time Entrance Award and the overall Wildlife Artist of the Year 2026 title.

50% of the £10,000 prize fund from the Wildlife Artist of the Year winner is donated to the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation for continued wildlife conservation.

The exhibition will be held at Mall Galleries in London from September 8 to 12 with the awards ceremony taking place on September 8 from 6pm to 8pm.

The event will also be streamed live on the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation social platforms.

Mr Currie-Scarr and his fiancée plan to travel to London in their campervan to keep costs down and enjoy a short camping break.

He said the honour still hadn’t fully sunk in and believes it will only feel real once he is at the ceremony in London.

The exhibition is also available to view online until September 12 and all finalist artworks are available for purchase through the foundation’s website.

Members of the public can also vote for the People’s Choice Award via the same site.