Meet Alanda Calmus

I create semi-abstract wildlife paintings bursting with vibrant colour and texture.

Oil painting of a barn owl perched on a post at sunset over a scenic lake landscape.
Oil painting of a barn owl perched on a post at sunset over a scenic lake landscape.

My Art Style Journey

From traditional realism to expressive mixed media, my art captures wildlife’s spirit and energy.

Through this less predictable process of creating art I can express my love and wonder of nature.

Work Journey

For over 20 years I built a career as a wildlife and portrait painter known for my traditional realist style. Working in pastel or oil, I always knew what my subject would be and how it would look once completed. It was a well practised skill with predictable outcomes.

In 2020 I moved on from this very detail orientated way of working to embrace a looser and more free-flowing art style. One where I didn’t know what subject I was painting until some way through the process.

The inclusion of animals in my art continues, their images hard-wired in my brain after so many years, but it’s their energy and spirit that are more important to me now.

Working in this way keeps me joyfully engaged in a creative experience of the art.

In 2024 I was selected to paint a giant hare sculpture as part of The Big Hop Trail in aid of CLAN Cancer Support.

It was a fantastic experience to have the opportunity to translate my style of painting into a 3D object. I was delighted to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause.

Studio

At my Home in Fochabers

I am fortunate to have a purpose-built space where I can keep all my painterly chaos. It works in very a cyclical nature, much like my art. I make a big mess and then I tidy up and then the whole process starts again.

Alanda Calmus artist stands beside a large, brightly painted Big Hop Trail Hare sculpture
Alanda Calmus artist stands beside a large, brightly painted Big Hop Trail Hare sculpture
Artistic Evolution

From the initial explosion of colour in my "Out of Chaos" artwork, through my emerging collection where I brought the animals further into form, I'm now working on a new evolution of my art practice.

I don't know exactly how this will look but I'm excited to continue on this next leg of my creative journey.

Process

A glimpse into some of the stages in one of my layered wildlife paintings

Abstract acrylic painting featuring expressive teal, red, and black brushstrokes on canvas.
Abstract acrylic painting featuring expressive teal, red, and black brushstrokes on canvas.
Surreal Arctic painting featuring a polar bear, beluga whale, orca, and snowy owl under a full moon.
Surreal Arctic painting featuring a polar bear, beluga whale, orca, and snowy owl under a full moon.
Abstract expressionist painting featuring teal, pink, and white textured brushstrokes on a gray canvas.
Abstract expressionist painting featuring teal, pink, and white textured brushstrokes on a gray canvas.
Abstract acrylic painting on canvas featuring expressive teal, blue, and magenta brushstrokes.
Abstract acrylic painting on canvas featuring expressive teal, blue, and magenta brushstrokes.
Acrylic painting comparison of an orca whale jumping and a polar bear in Arctic waters.
Acrylic painting comparison of an orca whale jumping and a polar bear in Arctic waters.