22 abril 2026
In November 2025, two of my paintings, Night Whistler and Winged Hunter, were selected for the Vila Real Biodiversity Art Contest – Nature Drawing, presented as part of the International Nature Image Festival (FIIN) in Vila Real, Portugal. The exhibition took place from the 17th to the 22nd of November 2025, and both works were included in the Scientific and Nature Drawing Exhibition Catalogue.
When I received the confirmation, I felt a quiet sense of gratitude. I have always painted animals out of deep respect and observation, not with the intention of entering competitions, but with the desire to understand what I see and feel. Knowing that these two works would be shown within a context dedicated specifically to biodiversity gave them a different kind of weight.
The Vila Real Biodiversity Art Contest focuses on promoting biological natural heritage. This includes natural regions, ecosystems, habitats, and species of wild fauna and flora. The contest also encourages illustration and design connected to nature and seeks to foster reflection in society about the importance of knowing, promoting, and conserving biodiversity.
That framework resonated with me. I live surrounded by mountains, forests, birds and changing light. The presence of wildlife is not abstract in my life. It is immediate. When I paint an owl or a bird of prey, I am painting something that shares the same land, the same sky.
Being part of an exhibition that places artistic practice alongside conversations about ecosystems and conservation felt aligned with how I approach my work. I do not see animals as decorative subjects. I see them as beings with presence and dignity.
Night Whistler centres on an owl. Owls have appeared in my work more than once, and there is something about them that continues to draw me back. Their stillness is not passive. It is alert, grounded, attentive.
In this painting, I focused on texture and atmosphere. The owl is not isolated against a blank background. It exists within its environment. The surface carries layers that echo bark, shadow and depth. I wanted the viewer to feel the quiet intensity of the bird’s gaze.
Owls inhabit the threshold between light and darkness. They move silently. Painting one requires slowing down. Every feather, every subtle shift in tone, demands patience. There is no rush in that process. It mirrors the way I observe them in real life.
Winged Hunter portrays another bird of prey. In this work, the emphasis is on structure and strength. Birds of prey embody focus. Their bodies are built for precision.
While painting this piece, I paid attention to the layering of feathers and the rhythm they create. The composition is simple, but the detail required time. Each feather sits in relation to another. There is a natural architecture in a bird’s wing, and I wanted that to be visible.
Both paintings were selected for exhibition and later included in the Scientific and Nature Drawing Exhibition Catalogue. Seeing them documented within a publication dedicated to scientific and nature drawing felt meaningful. It placed them in dialogue with other artists who are also working from observation and respect for the natural world.
The exhibition took place in Vila Real, Portugal, from the 17th to the 22nd of November 2025, as part of the International Nature Image Festival. Although I was not present for the entire duration, knowing that the works were part of an international festival dedicated to nature imagery was important.
Festivals like FIIN bring together different ways of seeing the natural world. Photography, illustration, drawing — all contributing to a wider awareness of biodiversity. My contribution was small in that context, but it felt sincere.
I often work alone in my studio or outdoors. To know that these pieces were hanging in a space where visitors were actively engaging with themes of biodiversity created a sense of shared intention.
Biodiversity is not an abstract word for me. It refers to the ecosystems that surround my daily life. It refers to the birds I hear at dawn, the animals that move across the mountains, the plants that change with each season.
When I paint wildlife, I am not trying to create scientific diagrams. But I am trying to honour the being in front of me. There is responsibility in representation. Even in art.
The contest’s aim to promote awareness and reflection about natural heritage and conservation is something I support. While painting alone does not solve environmental challenges, it can foster attention. And attention is the beginning of care.
Being selected for an international biodiversity drawing contest is an honour. But what remains most significant to me is the process that led to the works themselves. The hours of looking. Time spent adjusting tone and texture. The quiet moments in the studio.
Recognition is encouraging, but it does not replace the discipline of returning to the canvas. What matters most is continuing to observe and to paint with honesty.
The inclusion of Night Whistler and Winged Hunter in the exhibition catalogue ensures that these works remain part of an ongoing conversation about nature and representation. They now exist not only as physical paintings, but also as part of a documented event centred on biodiversity.
Living in a rural environment has shaped my perspective. Wildlife is not distant here. It is woven into daily experience. Painting birds of prey is not a conceptual exercise. It is a reflection of what surrounds me.
Participating in the Vila Real Biodiversity Art Contest reaffirmed that this direction in my work remains meaningful. I will continue to paint animals and landscapes not as symbols, but as presences.
If you are interested in the full context of the exhibition, it formed part of the International Nature Image Festival 2025 (FIIN) in Vila Real, Portugal.
It is a nature drawing contest presented within the International Nature Image Festival (FIIN) in Portugal. It promotes biological natural heritage, ecosystems and wild species.
My paintings Night Whistler and Winged Hunter were selected for exhibition and included in the Scientific and Nature Drawing Exhibition Catalogue.
The exhibition was held in Vila Real, Portugal, from the 17th to the 22nd of November 2025.
If you would like to see Night Whistler, Winged Hunter, and my latest wildlife paintings, you can visit my online gallery, where I share recent works and ongoing series.
I also post studio moments, process details and updates from Tuixent on Instagram at @valentina_abadia_art.
