Scientific Illustration
Tell has been awarded first prize at the "1st International Competition for Herpetological Scientific Illustration 2014", X111 Iberian Congress of Herpetology, University of Aveiro, Portugal.
Caps and t-shirts
Another t-shirt design for Eco (also used for the IHS 2011 symposium).
Compared with many of my other t-shirts, this image is quite simple and appears more graphic in design.
While working on this I was reminded of the times spent herping in west Texas, searching the rock-cuts for a glimpse of one of these gorgeous but elusive snakes.
Happy days!
Rowley's Palm Pitviper
Inhabitants of the cloud forests of SW Mexico, only a few of these fantastic snakes have ever been found. Fortunately they have been successfully bred in captivity and can now be seen in several zoos.
Although not the prettiest of the arboreal Alligator Lizards, the equally rare Abronia ornelasi shares this snake’s restricted range and was an obvious choice to include in the composition.
Signed prints of this painting are available from www.tellhicks.com (in the UK and Europe) or www.reptileshirts.com (in the USA)
Speckled Rattlesnake
Access to this remote and dangerous area is restricted, and special permits were required from the Gila Bend Airforce Base.
Wonderful scenery, and great company proved the perfect way to celebrate my birthday.
March 2011
At last, in March, I finished the large canvas of the extinct Thylacine, otherwise known as the Tasmanian Wolf or Tiger.
I read recently that scientists had successfully isolated the DNA of this amazing creature, from preserved specimens. Let’s hope that one day they can be brought back to life for us to see again.
In the meantime, the painting can be seen hanging in the superb natural history museum at the University of California, Riverside.
February 2011
Later I set some rocks around the top of the concrete plinth to give it a more natural look.
The sculpture stands approx. 18ft high and is proving to be a very popular backdrop in the group photographs of the many visitors to the Chiricahua Desert Museum
December 2010
The painting shows the typically aggressive behaviour of the male birds when defending their territory.
The range of this beautiful species extends up the west of the USA as far north as Alaska.
Also depicted in this composition are New Mexico Thistles (Cirsium neomexicanum).
November 2010
The few existing black and white photographs, and film clips, have been extremely helpful, but were not sufficient for me to gain all of the information that I required. Fortunately I was able to make a detailed study of a preserved specimen at Walter Rothchild's Natural History Museum, in Tring, Hertfordshire.
October 2010
In the early hours of Saturday morning we drove to the TV studio to promote the show on Channel 2's 'Morning' Show, with Don Schultz (from Animal Planet's 'Wild Recon').
Don is one crazy guy, but very professional. It was a real pleasure to spend some time with him.
September 2010
This September, a successful herping trip to the Mohave Desert in California, was combined with a whale watching trip out of Monterey Bay.
July 2010
For some time now, I have been working on nineteen illustrations for a book on Arizona Rattlesnakes. My latest 'The Speckled Rattlesnake' depicts three different colour forms of this beautiful snake (one of my favourite species). The painting was exhibited in Tucson, Arizona, where I gave a talk at the 33rd International Herpetological Symposium. It was so well received that a limited edition print of the image was produced.
The print measures 10.75" x 14.5" (16" x 20" when matted) and is available at http://www.tellhicks.com/ (in the UK) or from Eco at http://www.reptileshirts.com/ (in USA).
April 2010
A couple of years ago I was sat beside some quiet water in Florida, trying to figure out how I could catch the Water Moccasin that was basking on some floating vegetation, just beyond my reach. Suddenly this Armadillo came trotting past, SO I GRABBED HIM!
What a little cutie!
Little did he know that he was destined to be immortalised as the latest Eco cap design at http://www.ecouniverse.com/
March 2010
Inspired by the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, and armed with detailed photos of the snakes taken on my numerous trips to Arizona and the south-west USA, I'm creating a large sculpture of a rattlesnake tail.
After various sketches and designs were made, a working model was created in the studio.
The model will be used to establish measurements and templates for the final sculpture. This will be over 15ft in height, constructed of metal, and stand on public display in front of the Chiricahua Desert Museum, Rodeo, New Mexico.
January 2010
This 24" x 48" oil painting was exhibited during January and February at shows in Phoenix, San Diego and Chicago.
Much of the background and habitat details were gathered on my hikes around the lakes and forests of Cook County, Illinois, during the previous autumn.
One of everybody's favourites, the Wood Duck is a species which I have had the opportunity to observe in close detail. Recent studies of the birds plumage were also made, from captive specimens, at the Wildfowl Centre, Slimbridge, UK.
Limited edition Giclee prints, on canvas, 24"x 48" and lithographic prints 12.5" x 24" are available at www.tellhicksart.com and www.ecouniverse.com in the USA, and www.tellhicks.com in the UK and Europe.
March 2009
December 2008
Displayed at the N.A.R.B.C. show, in Chicago and Dulles, this painting is now available as a large giclee print on canvas.For details please contact ECO Wear and Publishing www.REPTILESHIRTS.com
November 2008
This painting of an Emerald Monitor, was featured in an interview with Tell and Nigel Marven for Fox News, to promote one of the North American Reptile Breeders Conferences.
October 2008
This painting, of the critically endangered Yangtze Giant Softshelled Turtle, was commissioned by the TSA (Turtle Survival Alliance).
Prints are available from the Turtle Survival Alliance and all funds raised will be used in an attempt to breed the last known pair of this incredible reptile, in China.
August 2008
Tell gave several lectures this year, about his travels throughout the South-West USA, in search of rattlesnake specimens for his book illustrations.
One of his trips took him to Monument Valley in search of the Midget Faded Rattlesnake.
February 2007
This painting of the Leatherback Turtle was exhibited at the 2007 Sea Turtle Symposium, in South Carolina, and was worked on at the Texas NARBC show.
A video of an interview by Jeff Barringer (for Kingsnake.com) can be seen here on YouTube.