biography

Brett Jarrett, born Portland, Victoria in 1965, is one of the leading animal and bird painters in Australia and is most noted for his sophisticated and true to life realism. Remarkably he is the most travelled of Australia’s painters with thirty-four years experience as a passionate naturalist visiting many remote regions of the world including several extensive expeditions to Antarctica and the eastern tropical Pacific.

As recognition of excellence, his work has been published in several books highlighting his vast knowledge of birds and animals accumulated from field study and research expeditions, these include:
Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds.
Feather and Brush: Three Centuries of Australian Bird Art.
A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife.
Whales, Dolphins and Seals: A Field Guide to the Marine Mammals of the World.
Marine Mammals of the World: A Guide To Their Identification.

Close to his heart are animal exploitation and cruelty issues and he has been a life long contributor to animal welfare organizations and conservation groups.

In April 2005, under the patronage of HRH Prince Charles and supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, two of his paintings from the award-winning book ‘A Complete Guide to Antarctic Wildlife’ were donated to the Save the Albatross Campaign. Auctioned at Trinity House, London, the paintings reached the sale price of AUD $40,000, double the price of the next highest works by some of the United Kingdoms best wildlife artists.

Combining the discipline of anatomical accuracy and tonal values and a fascination for all animals, has in recent years lead to an interest in horses and he is currently working on equine portraits.

Brett’s work is infrequently exhibited in art competitions preferring more specialised events dedicated to animal and bird art, most notably the Waterhouse Natural History Art Prize (South Australia), The Society of Animal Artists and Birds in Art (USA).

"Any animal, bird or natural element painted in the realist genera deserves to be accurately portrayed. It is the artists responsibility not only to know their subject well enough to accomplish this, but to know that you have tried your best to represent the subject as beautifully as nature does."