Art out of Africa by Sophie Walbeoffe November 12th – 29th 2008 The Osborne Studio Gallery are delighted to announce that Sophie Walbeoffe will be exhibiting her paintings of Africa and Venice in November 2008 in Belgravia, London. Sophie’s love affair with Africa began in 1988 when she was appointed as the official artist for Operation Raleigh in Kenya. After the initial culture shock of living in a tent in the bush for weeks, she not only fell in love with Africa, but she met her future husband who was living with the Samburu warriors. The honeymoon period of their marriage was spent living in tents, miles from anywhere where their most frequent visitor was the great latter-day explorer, Wilfred Thesiger. After four years of living and working in the remote north, Sophie and her husband Piers Simpkin moved to Nairobi with their daughter Lara and son Jasper, bringing with them Piers’s herd of 50 camels. They continue to be a constant source of inspiration for Sophie’s paintings. Sophie now pursues her painting in more suburban surroundings but has never shied away from a physical challenge. In 2004 she climbed both Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro for an exhibition she called “Painting in the Clouds”. As she climbed nearer the summit of Kilimanjaro she had to add whisky to her watercolours to stop them freezing. As official artist for the Red Cross in East Africa Sophie also paints scenes from the most rural, sometimes damaged and often forgotten areas. Her styles vary according to her subject and her mood, but her paintings and ink sketches always capture the vibrancy, colour and spirit of Africa.

Sophie has lived and worked in Africa as an artist for the last 19 years. She draws her inspiration from her extraordinary surroundings. Her work is an eclectic mix of styles and mediums, her subjects range from the stunning African landscapes and wildlife to the colourful domestic scenes of living in a developing country. She paints in-situ, planning her compositions with total passion and commitment to the finished work. June 20th 2008 During the recent political upheavals in Kenya, Sophie was evacuated and left with her canvases for this exhibition literally under her arms and fled to the tranquillity of Venice. Continuing with as always her passion for painting, Venice proved a perfect backdrop for new ideas and compositions until she could return home to Africa. These paintings are also included in this exhibition. Sophie has an outstanding talent and makes the most of her extraordinary lifestyle. She is well known in Kenya for her beautiful paintings and we look forward to welcoming her and her exciting exhibition to the UK later in the year. For further P.R. information or photographs please contact: Sarah Aldous or Annabel Jolly Tel/Fax: All marketing enquiries please contact: Amanda Metcalf, The Osborne Studio Gallery, 2 Motcomb Street, London, SW1X 8JU Tel: Website: “Over the last few years my job with the Red Cross has pushed me more to being a travel painter visiting new places and getting more ‘spatial thrills,’ an expression used by David Hockney talking about Turner’s painting. I think it is a good expression when one considers the huge spaces we have here in Kenya. It is the timelessness of Kenya, the people, wildlife and landscape that attract me most but I return to paint in England and Europe as often as I can as I enjoy the challenge of contrasting landscapes,” says Sophie.