Pip McGarry counts himself fortunate to have had such a colourful and exciting upbringing. As a youngster he lived for three years in the Far East, with a further two years in Central America. 'Having a father in the army had some exciting dividends for a youngster' says Pip, 'those countries were particularly raw and undeveloped then and we had a very wild and adventurous time, for instance, in Malaya, we played continuously in the jungle and were surrounded by nature'.

Art has always been a factor in the family. Pip's grandfather, who spent many years in India, was a painter of some note and also painted wildlife, which was quite unusual in the 1930s. This family inheritance does not stop at Pip; the well-known international wildlife artist, Matthew Hillier, is Pip's first cousin. 'I am sure our grandfather would have been absolutely delighted that we are both professional wildlife artists' says Pip.

As a purely self-taught artist, he was eventually able to drop one day a week from his full time job, then two, before launching his increasingly successful career as a professional wildlife artist.

In 1999, he camped in Tanzania, studying the habitat and wildlife of the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro crater. The following year, he undertook a study trip to Northern Botswana, camping in the remote wilderness areas of Chobe and Savute. So impressed with the profusion of wildlife there, he is leading a trip for artists and photographers back to Botswana again in September this year.

Pip is a professional wildlife artist who specialises in oils. He has been the Artist-in-Residence at Marwell Zoological Park in Hampshire since January 1999, the first time such a position has existed there. He is also the founder and chairman of the Marwell Art Society and a council member of Marwell Zoological Society, which has in excess of 10,000 members. He is a member of The Wildlife Art Society and a member of the Fine Arts Trade Guild. His paintings have been regularly sold at Christie's and Sotheby's since 1998 and are published by de Montfort Fine Art Ltd.