Greg Oakley is an Australian artist whose work reflects a lifelong passion for the natural world.
With a Diploma in Art & Design, Greg has spent over 40 years as a professional illustrator and designer, honing his eye for detail, composition, and visual storytelling — skills that now underpin his acclaimed career as a hyperrealistic wildlife painter.
Inspired by the beauty, fragility, and complexity of nature, Greg’s paintings explore the delicate balance between grace, stillness, and the more brutal realities of the wild. Working primarily in acrylic, he creates richly detailed, lifelike portraits of birds and animals that invite close observation and quiet reflection.
A defining aspect of Greg’s work is his deep fascination with intricacy and texture in the natural world — the fine structure of feathers, the roughness of bark, the softness of moss, the patterning of stone, and the countless small details that are often overlooked. By carefully painting every tiny element, Greg aims to reveal what is truly there, encouraging the viewer to slow down and recognise the extraordinary complexity that exists within nature.
His work is heavily influenced by the precision and reverence of artists from the 16th to early 19th centuries, yet it carries a distinctly contemporary message about our relationship with the natural world and the urgent need to protect it. This commitment to accuracy is central to his practice.
Greg is vigilant in ensuring that each creature is anatomically correct, and that the setting it inhabits contains the right natural elements — from plants and rocks to broader landscape details — true to that species’ habitat.
Greg’s art has been recognised in numerous national and international exhibitions. He has been a finalist and category winner in many prestigious art prizes, including taking out the top award in the 2024 Holmes Prize for Excellence in Realistic Australian Bird Art. His paintings are held in private collections across Australia, Europe, North America, and Asia. He is an award Winning Wildlife Artist and Signature Member of Society of Animal Artists.
RECENT AWARDS AND ARTICLES
Masters of Wildlife Art Exhibtion – Wild Heart Gallery (2026) – Finalist
Society of Animal Artists (USA)
– Appointment as a Signature Member (2026)
– Annual Exhibition – Finalist
Art and Color 365 Magazine – Wildlife/Animals Competition (2025) – Winner
Holmes Art Prize (2025) – Award of Excellence
Holmes Art Prize (2024) – Winner, Best in Show
Flanagan Art Prize (2025) – Finalist
American Wildlife Art Competition and Exhibition, Arcadian Gallery (2025) – Finalist
International Artists Magazine – Main Feature and Cover – August/September (2024)
Novum Arts Magazine – Full feature Issue 011 (December 2025)
Coffee table art book of my Gould Series work was published by Images Publishing (2023) titled
“Homage To The Bird”
Ladder Art Space Gallery (2023) – Solo exhibition
Chianciano Biennale, Tuscany, Italy (2022) – Finalist
Brunswick Street Gallery’s Finalist exhibition (2019) – Judge’s Commendation
