With their comical gait and shiny suit-like feathers, penguins have got to rate among the most lovable of birds. And this Christmas, as the John Lewis Monty the toy penguin advert hits our TV screens, they are again all the rage.

But if we are not careful the world is in danger of losing its rarest penguin, the Galapagos penguin. I was lucky enough to see this unique species in its natural habitat during a research trip to the Galapagos Islands, near Ecuador, earlier this year.

And this week an exhibition of my paintings from my visit to this amazing archipelago goes on show at the Deep, in Hull. The picture I have produced of the Galapagos penguin is taking centre stage.

There are fewer than 1,000 breeding pairs of this species left and they live exclusively on these remote islands in the Pacific.

The Deep has already raised £25,000 for Project Penguin, which supports vital research work being undertaken by The Galapagos Conservation Trust to protect this species.

I’m delighted to be able to support the aquarium’s efforts to raise money to protect this species and create awareness too.

The Galapagos penguin has a 30 per cent chance of extinction in the next 100 years, and conservation work is vital in helping to sustain the population.

Alongside my paintings there will be information panels so visitors can learn all about this rare species and how it is being protected.

I visited the Galapagos during the breeding season and the painting I later developed comes from a photograph of a courting pair I had watched for some time.

The pair had been interrupted by a rival only moments before I took the picture and had both pushed the interloper off the rock they were standing on.

I tried to capture the triumphant stance they both adopted after giving this rival the push.

Visitors to the Deep can now see real penguins swimming above and below water in its new penguin enclosure, Kingdom of Ice.

This icy enclosure is actually home to a group of Gentoo penguins, a species from the sub-Antarctic islands.

Penguins are exclusive to the southern hemisphere, but the northern tip of Isabela Island in the Galapagos crosses the equator, meaning that the Galapagos penguin is the only species of penguin to be found in the northern hemisphere too.

One of the most remarkable things about my trip to the Galapagos Islands was watching these penguins swimming. I loved snorkelling with them underwater.

On land, penguins are extremely clumsy. But they are incredibly agile in the water. Their movements are so fluid and graceful it felt like seeing these flightless birds at last able to fly – all be it under water.

The new Kingdom of Ice exhibit at The Deep has a glass front so you can watch the penguins underwater as well as wobbling about on the ice and it is worth noticing the difference in their agility.

I’m hoping visitors will enjoy learning about the differences between the different species and how they can help save a penguin that lives thousands of miles away this Christmas.

My exhibition opened at The Deep, in Hull, this week and will be on show every day until Monday, January 5.

My original paintings of Galapagos wildlife, prints, mugs, Christmas cards and other Galapagos-related merchandise will also be on sale in The Deep’s shop.