SWLA
THE NATURAL EYE
Artist of the Year In association with
Great Black-backed Gull and Rooks, Camel Estuary by Dan Cole, winner of the 2016 Birdwatch Artist of the Year award
AS the leading magazine for the promotion of bird art, we wish every success for The Natural Eye, the Society of Wildlife Artists’ annual exhibition. Visit us online at www.birdguides.com/ birdwatch
SWLA THE NATURAL EYE 54th Annual Exhibition
The Natural Eye exhibition 2017 sponsored by Terravesta, pioneers of sustainable energy from miscanthus. 19th to the 29th of October 2017
Harriet Mead Scissor Bee-eater Welded found objects detail 2
SWLA President’s Foreword
Welcome to The Natural Eye, the 54th annual exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists. The SWLA is very grateful to have the support of several galleries, companies and organisations which enables us to offer prestigious prizes and awards to exhibitors at the show. Our longstanding relationship with Birdwatch Magazine and Swarovski Optics recognises the outstanding work of individual artists with the Birdwatch Bird Artist of the Year and the RSPB give their prestigious prize to the best paintings of a British bird subject. Printmaking, sculpture and fieldwork skills are rewarded in the suite of Langford Press Awards, and the Birdscapes Gallery Conservation through Art award acknowledges the contribution that an individual artist has made to conservation. A bird of prey themed work receives The Roger Clarke Hawk and Owl Trust Award in memory of their late chairman and supporter of the SWLA, and the chosen artist for the Dry Red Press Award has their work reproduced as greetings cards which are distributed nationwide. Sadly this will be the final year of the long running PJC Award for a work on paper given by David Cook in memory of his late wife. In addition to these awards the SWLA is proud to announce a new prize for an outstanding work in the show; The Terravesta Prize. Terravesta is a UK based biofuels company who are pioneering the use of miscanthus as a renewable energy source. In addition to the new prize Terravesta have helped sponsor some of the costs of the exhibition for which we are very grateful. The much awaited BTO/SWLA Flight Lines book was published this autumn. Mike Toms has written a fascinating text about the story of migration with project work from many of the SWLA artists featured. It was a major collaboration of which we are very proud and grateful that the BTO had the vision for the project. Copies are available at the bookshop for the duration of the exhibition and an overview of the book is on page 58. Another collaborative project took place this summer. The SWLA residency with the Dorset Wildlife Trust at Kingcombe gave the participating artists the chance to spend time at the stunning meadow and ancient woodland reserve. Fieldwork from the residency is on show in the Out of the Frame Room and there is an article about the experience on page 10. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our sponsors and partners for their continued support of the Society whether it is through awards for outstanding work at the exhibition or providing opportunities to take part in projects, their help allows artists to continue to be inspired by the natural world.
Harriet Mead
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SWLA Overview
PRESIDENT
Harriet Mead
VICE-PRESIDENTS
Robert Gillmor, Bruce Pearson, Andrew Stock
SECRETARY
Brin Edwards
TREASURER
Max Angus
COUNCIL
Madeline Goold, Robert Greenhalf, John Threlfall
FBA GOVERNOR
Nik Pollard
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Darren Rees
ENQUIRIES TO
The Federation of British Artists: 17 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5BD Telephone: 020 7930 6844 Fax: 020 7839 7830 Registered Charity No. 328717
COVER IMAGE
Darren Woodhead, Red Admirals and passing Hobby Watercolour, detail
SWLA HISTORY
In the late 1950s the original work of wildlife artists was not readily available to the ever-growing numbers of people developing an interest in natural history. With the formation of a Society very much in mind, Robert Gillmor and Eric Ennion, with the enthusiastic support of Peter Scott and Keith Shackleton, organised an Exhibition by Contemporary Bird Painters which was opened by Lord Alanbroke in the Reading Art Gallery in 1960. Maurice Bradshaw, then Director of the Art Exhibition Bureau, joined the Organising Committee and, as a result, the Bureau took the exhibition on tour for a year. The great interest shown by provincial galleries extended the tour for a further year. During this period the organisers were joined by R.B. Talbot-Kelly and Maurice Wilson to plan a Society and invite Founder-Members. James Fisher opened the inaugural Exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists at 6 ½ Suffolk Street in August 1964. For more information on the SWLA including how to submit work visit: www.swla.co.uk
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Madeline Goold SWLA Upright butterfly form English alabaster 5
SWLA Members Akroyd, Carry Allen, Richard Angus, Max Atkinson, Kim Barrett, Priscilla Bennett, David Binder, Adam Brown, Diana Burton, Philip J K Clucas, Fiona Cole, Daniel Dalrymple, Neil Davis, John Derry, Nick Dusen, Barry van Edwards, Brin Edwards, Victoria Ellis, Carl Eveleigh, John Foker, John Gemma, Federico Gillmor, Robert Goold, Madeline Greenhalf, Robert Gudgeon, Simon Hampton, Michael Haslen, Andrew Haste, Kendra Hodges, Gary Johnson, Richard Johnson, Rosalie Jones, Kittie Kokay, Szabolcs Lockwood, Rachel Mackman, Nick Mead, Harriet Michel, Sally
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4 Luddington in the Brook, Oundle, East Northamptonshire PE8 5QU 34 Parkwood Avenue, Wivenhoe, Essex CO7 9AN Barn Tye Studios, 4 Barn Tye Close, Guston, Kent CT15 5ND Ty’n Gamdda, Uwchmynydd, Pwllheli, Gwynedd LL53 8DA Jack Of Clubs, Lode, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB5 9HE Wren Cottage, Main Street, Melbourne, East Riding of Yorkshire YO42 4RE The Calf House, Marston Hill Farm, Meysey Hampton, Cirencester, Glos. GL7 5LG Shannel Ballogie, Aboyne, Aberdeenshire AB34 5DR High Kelton, Doctors Commons Road, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire HP4 3DW 44 Greengate, Levens, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 8NF The Old Bakery Studios, Blewetts Wharf, Malpas Road, Truro TR1 1QH 9a Llys-Y-Berllan, Ruthin, Denbighshire LL15 1PJ 6 Redmoor, Birdham, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 7HS 7 allée de l’île aux moineaux, 25000, Besançon, France c/o New East Frew, Thornhill, Stirling FK8 3QX 59 Barracks Road, Assington, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 5LP 403 London Road, Ditton, Aylesford, Kent ME20 6DB 65 Barn Common, Back Lane, Woodseaves, Staffordshire ST20 0LW 4 Broadfield Road, Folkestone, Kent CT20 2JT 37 South Terrace, Esh Winning, Co Durham DH7 9PS Via Michele Barbi 12, Rome, Italy 00125 North Light, Hilltop, Cley-next-the-Sea, Holt, Norfolk NR25 7SE The Birches, Brake Lane, Hagley, Worcestershire DY8 2XN Romney House, Saltbarn Lane, Playden, Rye, East Sussex TN31 7PH Pallington Lakes, Pallington, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 8QU 11 Beech House, Fieldway, New Addington, Surrey CR0 9DY College Farm, Preston, St Mary, Suffolk CO10 9NQ 2 Chalk Lane, Epsom, Surrey KT18 7AR 7 Marlborough Mews, London SW2 5TE 168 Kendal Way, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB4 1LT 18 Clevedon Road, Richmond Bridge, East Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 2HU 27/9 St Leonards St, Edinburgh EH8 9QN Facanos Utca, 14-1, Hungary - 1213 Pinkfoot Gallery, High Street, Cley-next-the-Sea, Norfolk NR25 7RB St Ediths, Bratton Clovelly, Devon EX20 4JW The Nunnery, Brandon Road, Hilborough, Thetford, Norfolk IP26 5BW 30 Woodland Way, Bidborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 0UY
Moger, Jill Neill, William Paige, John Parry, David Partington, Peter Pearson, Bruce Phillips, Antonia Pollard, Nik Poole, Greg Proud, Alastair Reaney, John Rees, Darren Rich, Andrea Rose, Chris Schmidt, Christopher Scott, Dafila Sinden, Chris Smith, Jane Stock, Andrew Sykes, Thelma Threlfall, John Tratt, Richard Turvey, Simon Tyson, Esther Underwood, Matthew Wallbank, Christopher Warren, Michael Woodhams, Ben Woodhead, Darren Wootton, Tim
The Studio, 75 Millfield Lane, Nether Poppleton, York, Yorkshire YO26 6NA Rannachan, Askernish, South Uist, Western Isles HS8 5SY The Manor House, Kings Cliffe, Peterborough, Northamptonshire PE8 6XB Holly Hall, The Old School, Milton Lilbourne, Pewsey, Wiltshire SN9 5LQ Kettlebaston Hall, Nr Ipswich, Suffolk IP7 7QA 5 Marshall Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB1 7TY Willow Cottage, 38 South Mill Lane, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3PN 51 Concorde Drive, Bristol BS10 6PY 32 Kersteman Road, Redland, Bristol, Avon BS6 7BX Plas Bach, Newchurch, Camarthen, Dyfed SA33 6EJ 1 Buxton Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 5DE New East Frew, Thornhill, Stirling FK8 3QX 706 Western Drive, Santa Cruz CA 95060, USA 6 Whitelee Cottages, Newtown St. Boswells, Melrose, Roxburghshire TD6 0SH Zum Brook 7, 24238 Bauersdorf, Germany White Roses, The Hythe, Reach, Cambridgeshire CB25 0JQ 47 Colliers Field, Cinderford, Gloucestershire GL14 2SW Cariel, Kintallen, Tayvallich, Lochgilphead, Argyll PA31 8PR 8 Upper Street, Quainton, Bucks HP22 4AY Blue Neb Studios, 18 Newcroft, Saughall, Chester, Cheshire CH1 6EL Saltflats Cottage, Rockcliffe, Kirkcudbrightshire DG5 4QQ 10 Sharpley Close, Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 1LG 2 York Rise, Orpington, Kent BR6 8PR Unit 2c Via Gellia Mills, Bonsall, Derbyshire DE4 2AJ 46 Western Avenue, Barton on Sea, New Milton, Hampshire BH25 7PZ 60 Tufnell Park Road, London N7 0DT The Laurels, 64 Gainsborough Road, Winthorpe, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NR Praestegaardvejen 1A, Vestermarie, 3700 Roenne, Bornholm, Denmark 2 Ivory Court, Langriggs, Haddington, East Lothian EH41 4BY Dale Farmhouse, Evie, Orkney KW17 2PJ
ASSOCIATE Members Brodde, Marco Griffiths, Simon Hatton, John Jarvis, Richard Manning, Julia Prickett, Bill Sweeney, Jason
Tvaervej 1, 6720, Fano, Denmark 28 Church Street, Castleside, Co Durham DH8 9QW Fossbank, Tatham Fells, nr Lancaster LA2 8PS 1 Arden Way, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 7DB 2 Rosebank, Queen Street, Keinton Mandeville, Somerset TA11 6EQ The Winches, Newnham Lane, Newnham, Kent ME9 0LH Millhouse, Eyemouth, Berwickshire TD14 5RE
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SWLA Friends
The SWLA Friends scheme was set up to encourage involvement from people who have an interest in art and the natural world. Funds raised from the Friends’ support will help to ensure that the SWLA continues to offer bursaries and opportunities for young and emerging artists and will enable the Society to explore new relationships between artists and conservation organisations. In the 20 years since its inception our Bursary scheme has awarded over 80 bursaries to artists who have needed support with a project or help with new skills and techniques for their artistic development. Currently we offer places on the Seabird Drawing Course which is a marvellous way of mentoring artists during an intense course of field working. In addition we accept applications for general bursary proposals from individuals who need help with specific projects or skills. The BTO/SWLA Flight Lines Project, the DKM/SWLA Turkish Sweetgum Project and the DWT/SWLA Kingcombe residency are recent collaborations that show how artists can work with other organisations to help bring conservation and research stories to a much wider audience. With your support we can expand on these opportunities and increase our projects so that the enthusiasm, expertise and talents of our artists go even further.
Become a Friend of the SWLA and not only will you be helping to nurture artists inspired by the natural world you will also enjoy the following privileges: 1. Attend the private view of the annual exhibition and enjoy a buffet lunch 2. Free entry to exhibitions and lectures arranged by the Society and admit a limited number of guests 3. Receive a Friends newsletter biannually 4. Opportunity to take part in visits to member artists’ studios 5. Receive discounts on events, workshops and courses offered by the SWLA 6. Friends will be entered into a ballot where a proportion of the subscriptions will be devoted to the purchase of a work from the annual exhibition. The successful Friend will be told the amount available (currently £250) and invited to select his or her work from the show.
To become a friend of the Society or to make a donation please visit our website www.swla.co.uk
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Nik Pollard Wildflower meadows Mixed media, Below right 10
Greg Poole Early and Garden Bumblebees on Clover Wax crayon, Top
Kingcombe Meadows Nature Reserve SWLA/Dorset Wildlife Trust Artist Residency: May 2017
“In late May SWLA artists Carry Akroyd, Bob Greenhalf, Simon Griffiths, Richard Jarvis, Harriet Mead, Nik Pollard, Greg Poole, Matt Underwood and myself spent four days in the beautiful setting of Kingcombe Meadows, one of Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Nature Reserves, exploring and working in the field as part of this collaborative art project. I am fortunate to have worked with the Dorset Wildlife Trust for over 30 years, producing illustrations and interpretation for many of the Trust’s reserves and now, this opportunity to work with other artists. The idea was developed over time with the help of staff at Kingcombe and the DWT head office, who recognise the value of art in helping connect people to wildlife. The Trust were particularly keen on the SWLA artists making work with a site specific response, the proposal centred around the stunning Kingcombe Meadows Nature Reserve, as part of Kingcombe’s 30 year celebrations. The Kingcombe Centre is surrounded by over 450 acres of unimproved pasture, wildflower meadows, hedgerows and ancient woodland. It certainly provided us with plenty of inspiration and Swallow Barn became a temporary studio giving us space to layout our increasing collection of fieldwork as we ventured out each day to various locations in the Reserve. An initial guided walk gave an invaluable introduction to Kingcombe’s special qualities, including the 16 new hectares of flower-rich meadows making up the Coronation Meadows. We walked through the evocatively named Cowleaze, Lady’s Mead and Adders Plot with a short interlude in search of the rare corky fruited water dropwort, special to the area. Bullfinches abound and some had the good fortune to see a kingfisher along the bank of the River Hooke. It was the first time I have worked with fellow SWLA artists and after initial apprehension, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I am so pleased the project has come to fruition, not least to immerse myself in the lesser known corners of this colourful landscape, but also to see how differently we work but all with the same plan”. Antonia Phillips “Dorset Wildlife Trust is delighted to be working on this great project with the SWLA and to welcome such a talented group of artists to Kingcombe for the residential weekend was an exciting start to this inspiring project. We look forward to seeing the art that has been inspired by the beautiful Kingcombe landscape develop. We are sure the final exhibition next year will be a wonderful event but the relationships we hope to nurture with the artists will last even longer” DWT
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Greg Poole Long Mead – Kingcombe a large patch of Heath Spotted-orchids and nearby the dark spikes of Marsh Thistle Wax crayon 12
Nik Pollard Kingcombe field work Mixed media 13
Robert Greenhalf Field studies Watercolour and graphite 14
Robert Greenhalf Fieldwork Watercolour and graphite 15
Matt Underwood Wildflower meadow Acrylic 16
Simon Griffiths Guineafowl drawing Antonia Phillips Bullfinch detail
Richard Jarvis Fieldwork Watercolour 17
Carry Akroyd Adders Plot Mixed media 18
Matt Underwood Burnet Moths Pastel
Matt Underwood Kingcombe Wildflower meadow, Acrylic 19
“As this was my first experience of an SWLA residency and as a new boy, I was looking forward to working alongside and learning from the other artists present at Kingcombe. I had a very short preview visit to Kingcombe and Powerstock during a holiday in Dorset a few weeks earlier and realised it would be impossible to cover all aspects of the reserves in the short time available, this was reinforced by the informative introductory tour of Kingcombe on the Saturday evening. We were told of the management regime and the range of habitats and species within the reserve, plants like Corky-fruited Water Dropwort were mentioned along with evocative field names, Yonder Cowleaze and Adders Hole, harking back to an earlier agricultural era. This is a far cry from the present day Northants and Leicestershire I am used to. The tour pinpointed areas of the reserve that would be worth concentrating on. I was attracted to an area with a mixture of wildflowers including many Orchids and started working on these the following morning. A different experience than sketching via a spotting scope which is often my way of working. I gained a great deal from the experience, being able to observe the different approaches to fieldwork employed by the artists and chatting to them was valuable. This will be beneficial to my own work in the future. I must say a thank you to all the Dorset trust staff who looked after us during our stay”. RJ “In the heathy open areas the air thick with mist, drizzle and heavy downpours but also the intoxicating songs of Tree Pipit, Yellowhammer, Whitethroat and Willow Warbler. Patches of Heath Spotted-orchid alongside Meadow Thistles. Marsh Fritillaries, just emerging seemed to like feeding on the thistles. The railway cutting fantastically filled with all sorts. Butterfly Orchid at the edge of scrubby woodland. Bee Orchids just coming into flower. Lots of Twayblade. A Grizzled Skipper. Slow-worm and Great Crested Newt hiding under corrugated metal sheets. Frustratingly a lot of this was happening as the sun came out, just as it was time to leave. Lady’s Mead, a long sloping meadow full of Buttercups with flushes of Ragged-robin and Marsh Orchids. The latter seem like the glamorous protagonists with the million Buttercups as supporting cast. There was a strange lack of insects considering the wealth of flowers and the season. I’d guess less than 10 bumblebees in a huge field. The Damselfly (Azure I think) was the only dragonfly I saw other than Demoiselles down by the stream”. GP “Late May, and Kingcombe suffered days of inclement weather, the landscape dark, then fleetingly spotlit between scudding clouds. When sunshine returned, warm air revived the insects and the landscape transformed into a patchwork of colour, pale yellows, ochre, and cool greys. Smaller fields have a feeling of intimacy, thick, deep and dense with an intoxicating array of wildflowers”. MU “Along windy single track lanes with Matt to Powerstock Common Reserve. Weather decidedly un-promising dull and misty, but mild. We started off looking for Marsh Fritillaries in a specially fenced off area (against cattle), but without much hope. There were, however plenty of birds. A Tree Pipit parachuting, a Stonechat pair, Yellowhammers, Bullfinches and a moribund Lizard waiting for the sun. There was also a huge variety of plants, including the impressive Meadow Thistle with magenta flower heads on a single glaucous stem and few leaves”. RG “For me Kingcombe was a mixture of joy and anger. The delight of sitting amongst the density and abundance of flowers, and being able to wander at will, reminded me what modern farming has stolen from us during my lifetime.” CA Artist’s words Richard Jarvis, Greg Poole, Matt Underwood, Robert Greenhalf, Carry Akroyd 20
Matt Underwood & Robert Greenhalf In the field
Artists Final evening in Swallow Barn Show and tell 21
John Threlfall SWLA Grey Seal siesta Oil 22
Tim Wootton SWLA Rousay from Grory, Eynhallow - with Arctic Skuas Oil 23
Jane Smith SWLA Little Grebes and waterlilies Screenprint ed. of 4 24
Chris Sinden SWLA Kittiwakes Linocut ed. of 19 25
Richard Johnson SWLA Little Gull trio - Salthouse Watercolour 26
Alastair Proud SWLA Tranquil seas and Shearwaters Oil 27
Adam Binder SWLA Pangolin Bronze 28
Adam Binder SWLA Pangolin detail Bronze 29
Daniel Cole SWLA Mediterranean Gulls and Turnstones, Lizard Point, Cornwall Oil 30
Barry van Dusen SWLA Snowy Plover, Sanibel Watercolour 31
Bruce Pearson SWLA Piping Oystercatchers Relief print ed. of 12 32
Kittie Jones SWLA Razorbill Screenprint ed. of 14 33
Chris Rose SWLA Aberlady Bay Acrylic 34
Federico Gemma SWLA Eurasian Curlew, Finland Watercolour 35
Nick Mackman SWLA Bearded pig Ceramic & horse hair 36
Nick Mackman SWLA Bearded pig Ceramic & horse hair detail 37
Dafila Scott SWLA A single Lapwing flew by Acrylic 38
Robert Greenhalf SWLA Waxwings Oil 39
Nick Derry SWLA Jack Snipe Mixed media 40
Kim Atkinson SWLA Purple Sandpipers, low water on Pen y Cil Charcoal & gouache 41
Ben Woodhams SWLA Studies of dead Pheasant cock and Long-tailed Duck drake Watercolour 42
Brin Edwards SWLA Hen Harrier at Wicken Fen Oil 43
Greg Poole SWLA Gatekeepers and Bees on Scabious Gouache & wax crayon 44
Matt Underwood SWLA Roost Woodblock print ed. of 60 45
David Bennett SWLA Short-eared Owl in rain, North Uist Oil 46
John Foker SWLA Dead Sea Swifts Monotype & collage 47
Esther Tyson SWLA Farm Sparrow Oil 48
Richard Allen SWLA Wren Linocut ed. of 50 49
Darren Rees, Artist in Residence in Antarctica Scott Polar Research Institute
SWLA member Darren Rees was the fifth artist to receive the Artist in Residence in Antarctica honour from the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute. From February 26th to March 30th 2015 he travelled with the Royal Navy on HMS Protector from the Falkland Islands to the Antarctic Peninsula, with visits to Port Lockroy, the British Antarctic Survey base at Rothera, and to Deception Island. “My adventure started in the Falkland Islands with three full days to see some of its wildlife and landscapes. I had little prior experience with wild penguins so headed to Gypsy Cove and Telephone Cove with their Magellanic and Rockhopper colonies. The most spectacular site was the large King Penguin colony at Volunteer Point and it was a personal lifetime’s ambition fulfilled to see the busy ranks of several thousand birds. Heading south we crossed the often turbulent waters of the Drake Passage, yet the Southern Ocean Gods were smiling. The days crossing both towards the south, and later to the north, were terrific opportunities to see the diversity of petrels, shearwaters and albatrosses that traverse these rich seas, and my studio on the open ocean was the stern of Protector beneath the helideck. Arriving at the Antarctic Peninsula was a trip highlight. Dawn was crisp and clear and a breath-taking landscape of lofty peaks, snow-covered slopes and glaciers coloured by the low morning light as HMS Protector pushed through flat, still waters that were laden with microscopic life - overnight the ship’s filters had been blocked by its shrimpy content. We were travelling through krill soup, and conical sprays from Humpback Whale blows were dotted across the water in every direction - over a hundred animals escorted our passage through the Gerlache Strait.
Gypsy Cove Magellanic Penguins Adelie Shapes 50
Darren Rees Working in the field 51
Large King Penguin colony Volunteer Point Falklands 52
HMS Protector stern Drake Passage Work in progress
Cathedral berg Rothera, British Antarctic Survey base Fieldwork 53
The most productive time was the three full days on land at the British Antarctic Survey base at Rothera, enjoying close proximity to Antarctic Fur Seals, Blue-eyed Shags, Adelie Penguins and charismatic Southern Elephant Seals that were loafing around the buildings. These made great models, their belching and roaring making for a full-on sensory experience. The landscape was equally irresistible to paint, and after several days on the move aboard Protector, this was the first time I could sit and paint giant icebergs directly with no fear of the background moving. My working methods were tried and tested sketchbooks and watercolour pads, though luggage restrictions meant my tripod needed to double as an easel. I carried a small black sketchbook on the ship, the first place to record my initial reaction – a place for thumbnail sketches, ideas, and colour notes with pastels that could be done standing. Larger sketches were collected in cartridge pads but most often I used watercolours in a large spiral bound pad that could fit in a rucksack when getting on and off Protector. My residency was at the end of the austral summer and the temperatures were above freezing most days so I had no real problems using water-based media. Only on a couple of occasions did the thermometer dip below zero and a judicious drop of white spirit added to the water managed to keep things flowing. I was fortunate when working on Protector that I had unfettered access to the crow’s nest. This high platform above the ship’s bridge gave me a wrap-around view to the wonderful world of ice. Importantly, the space was weather-proof and I could work in any conditions, save a heavy swell. My studio in the sky was about 2 metres in diameter where I could work on a series of small acrylic canvasses”.
Black-browed Albatrosses in the wake Drake Passage Rothera 54
Darren’s new book Ice Bound (Mascot Media) documents his journey in the far south with a collection of over 150 sketches, watercolour and acrylic paintings executed in situ. 55
Tora Benzeyen – bursary winner 2017 To be honest, I didn’t know anything about the SWLA and seabird drawing course until last summer & the Turkish Sweetgum Project (2016) . Meeting with the four great artists who are already members of SWLA changed all my perspective on the wildlife art. With advice from them, I searched and worked a lot to apply for the seabird drawing course. It was a great moment when I received the acceptance mail from the SWLA. I was very excited because the dream to see thousands of seabird was gonna be true in a couple of months... Each of the tutors and artists were incredible. I didn’t expect to be in such a welcoming atmosphere. To see their great interests and hospitality kept me motivated for all week. When I looked back and see the differences between before and after the course, I can say that I feel myself more controlled to understand what I draw and I am not bored anymore when I draw something for hours. Also I am more confident to use my watercolor palette freely and I am not seeing an object to draw when I look a bird. I am looking for its behaviour and try to understand its moves... Razorbill studies using pencil. With suggestion of coursemate Ben Woodhams, I was trying to draw Razorbills just in 5 lines. There are dozens of pages that I tried this way. It was teachful to understand its behaviours and moves. Herring gull studies using wax crayon. I tried to use the same 5 lines technique with colours. Fulmar studies using pencil. I was trying to understand the bill shape. It took me all day to see real shape... Besides all, I feel myself very happy to catch a chance to be with these great people in the great places. Thank you very much all the support you gave me to live this unforgettable experience.
Tora Benzeyen Herring Gull studies Gannet studies 56
Wynona Legg, Guillemot studies Razorbill studies right
Wynona Legg – bursary winner 2017 Receiving the news that I had won a bursary with the SWLA, I was so incredibly over the moon. The news was especially welcome having had to turn down a place on the seabird drawing course the previous year because I could simply not afford to go. Receiving a bursary was fuel to keep me focused and I was so ready to fully embrace it. I am not new to drawing birds but I am very much someone who has put my artistic career on the backburner to make room for other focuses. My recent years have been spent working within nature conservation in warden roles at some pretty special reserves around the UK. I have been privileged to have had close encounters with many breeding birds and would take the opportunity where I could to make sketches in the field between periods of intense monitoring. But I had become rusty and felt that I was not yet where I wanted to be in my artistic career. I wasn’t new to the concept of drawing moving subjects or working in the elements and I was ready to get stuck into a focused week of drawing. I was perhaps more than a little naïve in thinking that it would be easy… This week has pulled me in every direction a person can be pulled! At times, I felt as brittle as the charcoal I was holding in my hand! To have eyes cast over your progress each day was originally a daunting prospect but it was incredibly motivating to have people notice things in your work that you have missed and will you to try new things to lift your work. There were overwhelming moments amongst all the mini revelations where it felt like I had forgotten how to draw! I think to be fully committed to this week you have to be someone who is okay with baring your soul and I definitely did that! I came here to push myself as an artist and I think in order to fully embrace something as unique as this, there is an element of stripping everything back and forgetting momentarily what you already know.
For the full story visit http://swla.co.uk/wp-swla/bursaries/seabird-drawing-course-award/ 57
BTO/SWLA Flight Lines Project Tracking the wonders of bird migration
Migrant birds mark the changing of the seasons, their arrivals and departures punctuating the year in ways that trigger an emotional response in those of us in touch with the natural world. The patterns of these arrivals and departures, charted by researchers working for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), reveal the impacts of a changing global climate and a shift in how our landscapes are managed. The populations of many migrant birds are in decline; UK Cuckoo populations, for example, have declined by half over the last 20 years, while 90% of our Nightingales have been lost from their English strongholds since 1967. Such declines are a concern for conservationists, alerted by the data and evidence being generated by the BTO and its network of 60,000 volunteers. One of the challenges faced by those seeking to halt these declines is that there is an awful lot that we don’t know about summer migrants. Information on where these birds winter, the routes that they use to get there, and the sites where they stop to refuel along the way, are only now becoming known. This new knowledge comes from emerging technologies that now allow BTO researchers to track migrant birds, and to then understand what is driving the declines. The decline of UK Cuckoos, for example, has recently been linked to the migration route used – UK Cuckoos use two different routes to reach the same wintering area in West Africa, one down through Spain and the other via Italy and the Balkans.
Processing a Nightjar Photo by Mike Toms Tiny tags reveal where Nightjars forage during summer and spend the winter, Photo by Jody Lawrance 58
Bruce Pearson SWLA Sahel Drypoint/carborundum 59
Carry Akroyd SWLA Secured ground Serigraph 60
Of course, collecting the evidence and understanding the reasons for decline is only part of the story. Conservation action is only likely to be effective if it has the support of the governments and individuals who live alongside migrant birds, either here in Europe or in Africa. It is increasingly recognised that engagement with science is greatly enhanced where that engagement takes place through the creative arts. Audiences exposed to scientific ideas through such pathways have been shown to be more likely to demonstrate meaningful change in their understanding and – where the topic has an environmental basis – their behaviour. It is for this reason that the Society of Wildlife Artists and the BTO have been working together on the BTO/SWLA Flight Lines project, which has seen SWLA member artists accompany BTO researchers and volunteers working on migrant birds, both here in the UK, elsewhere in Europe and in West Africa. Many of the pieces of art have been on display at Mall Galleries, and will be shown elsewhere in the UK during 2018. For the participating artists this has been a wonderful opportunity, both to see birds in new ways – often in the hand or the nest – and to use their talents to support the volunteers and researchers as they seek to help our migrant birds. The results of this project have been brought together in a new book, Flight Lines: Tracking the wonders of bird migration, which tells the story of our summer migrants through an engaging narrative and wonderful art. You can find out more about the Flight Lines project, about our declining migrants and the work being done to help conserve them by visiting the BTO website www.bto.org
Measuring a Cuckoo wing length Working in Yorkshire,Toby Smith, Top
Mike Warren SWLA Sand Martins Mixed media, Below 61
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SWLA THE NATURAL EYE 54th Annual Exhibition
Catalogue list of works 2017
Opposite: Robert Greenhalf SWLA/BTO Flightlines
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1
Carry Akroyd SWLA Eggardon from Powerstock Acrylic £1,800
2
Flooded washes Serigraph (ed. of 6) £885 (£750 u/f)
3
*ROG¿QFK JDUGHQ Serigraph & crayon (ed. of 8) £320 (£210 u/f)
4
Kintra Serigraph (ed. of 8) £340 (£225 u/f)
5
Noisy guest Serigraph (ed. of 10) £240 (£175 u/f)
12
Sandwich Tern, studies Watercolour £350
23
Starlings Linocut (ed. of 50) £125 (£95 u/f)
Purple Sandpipers, low water on Pen y Cil Charcoal & gouache £650
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24
14
Swifts Linocut (ed. of 50) £125 (£95 u/f)
St Abbs Kittiwakes Gouache & chalk £950
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Tideline Wagtails Watercolour £450
Winter bird: singing Song Thrush Monoprint £990
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Wren Linocut (ed. of 50) £125 (£95 u/f) Max Angus SWLA Chatterpies Linocut (ed. of 45) £320 (£235 u/f)
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Sketches of Kittiwakes in a snow storm at Ekkeroy, Finnmark, Norway. April 2017 Digital iPad image (ed. of 10) £200 (£100 u/f)
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Sketches of Mediterranean Gulls and Sandwich Terns at Minsmere, Suffolk. July 2017 Digital iPad image (ed. of 10) £200 (£100 u/f)
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Nuthatch Serigraph (ed. of 9) £240 (£175 u/f)
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Towards Southwold Serigraph (ed. of 10) £885
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Evening Redwings Linocut (ed. of 45) £320 (£235 u/f)
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Winter Green Woodpecker Serigraph (ed. of 10) £240 (£175 u/f)
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First foot Linocut (ed. of 45) £320 (£235 u/f)
Richard Allen SWLA Brambling and Beech mast Watercolour £450
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Shorelarks and Pinkfeet Linocut (ed. of 45) £320 (£250 u/f)
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Wells before dark Linocut (ed. of 45) £320 (£250 u/f)
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Kim Atkinson SWLA Purple Sandpipers Gouache & chalk £650
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High Summer Lapwing Watercolour £350
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House Sparrows Linocut (ed. of 50) £125 (£95 u/f)
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Malcolm Ausden Lapwings at Burwell Fen, Cambridgeshire. January 2017 Digital iPad image (ed. of 10) £200 (£100 u/f)
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Cy Baker 7KH ÀRFN Oil £1,250 Vanna Bartlett Emperor Moth Linocut (ed. of 14) £180 (£140 u/f) Ivy Bees (Colletes Hederae) Linocut (ed. of 10) £180 (£140 u/f)
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Speckled Wood Linocut (ed. of 14) £150 (£100 u/f)
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Pangolin Bronze (ed. of 18) £5,750
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Wall Brown Linocut (ed. of 18) £150 (£100 u/f)
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Tortoise Bronze (ed. of 24) £3,950
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Frances Bell 7KH ÀRRG ZDWHU Oil £2,600 David Bennett SWLA %XOO¿QFKHV 0DU¿HOG :HWODQGV North Yorkshire Oil £600 Corn Bunting and clover, North Uist Oil £600 Lapwing and Starlings, Staveley Nature Reserve, North Yorkshire Oil £600 Ringed Plovers, Beadnell, Northumberland Oil £600 Short-eared Owl in rain, North Uist Oil £600 Adam Binder SWLA Armadillo Bronze (ed. of 18) £4,100
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Stefan Boensch Black-headed Gull colony in the rain Pencil & watercolour £580
51
Shallow water, Grey Plover, The Wadden Sea Watercolour £400
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Spoonbills and Barnacle Geese, The Wadden Sea Watercolour £600
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Crouched Hare Red chalk £200
45
Gannet invasion at St Abb’s Head Pencil & gouache £340
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Juvenile Rook high in the tree Pencil & watercolour £580
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Relaxing seals Charcoal & watercolour £450 Marco Brodde ASWLA Companionship - seals and Terns, The Wadden Sea Watercolour £600
57
Peter Brown Goosanders Wood engraving (ed. of 65) £120 (£95 u/f) Nightingale Wood engraving (ed. of 70) £120 (£95 u/f) Anne Butler On Bass Rock Soft pastels £450 St Abb’s Head Watercolour, ink, chalk & conté pencil £380 Fiona Clucas SWLA Bee and Bindweed Gouache £275
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Fulmar incubating, St Abb’s Head Watercolour £400
Between islands and clouds Oil £2,400
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Shags at Dunbar Watercolour £400
Summer jewels Gouache £495
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Warbler, August Gouache £495
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Fiona Clucas SWLA Whooper Swans Graphite £750
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Winter dusk Acrylic £430
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Young Jackdaw and Bees Gouache £495
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Daniel Cole SWLA Autumn Magpies Oil £695 Azure - Winged Magpies, Extremadura Oil £1,495 Brent Geese and Starlings Oil £2,500 Great Grey Shrike Oil £475 Mediterranean Gulls and Turnstones, Lizard Point, Cornwall Oil £1,595 Louisa Crispin Flight path Graphite £1,500 John Davis SWLA Cattle Egrets Oil £995
71
Eider and Turnstone study Watercolour £295
82
Ring Ouzel Mixed media £800
72
Indian Pond Herons Oil £995
83
Spring waders Mixed media £900
73
Life among the lilies Oil £750
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Pheasant-tailed Jacana Oil £750
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Spring in the Western Isles Oil £995 Nick Derry SWLA Dotterels Mixed media £750
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John Dobbs NEAC Two Wild Dogs Oil £2,500 Beverley Drury +DZ¿QFK FRXUWVKLS Wire £410 Barry van Dusen SWLA Northern Parula in Oaks, Nahant Watercolour £425
87
Eagle Owl Acrylic £750
Prairie Warbler in Oaks, Flat Rock Watercolour £425
88
Firecrest Mixed media £750
Snowy Plover, Sanibel Watercolour £350
89
Heron and Coots Mixed media £850
Solitary Sandpiper, Skunknett Watercolour £375
90
Young Herons at Conway Hills Watercolour £475
Jack Snipe Mixed media £800 Red-necked Grebe and Surf Scoters Mixed media £850
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Brin Edwards SWLA Brents at Mersea Oil £895
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Five Godwits Oil £1,200
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Hen Harrier at Wicken Fen Oil £895
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Provence Hoopoe Oil £595 Rye Harbour afternoon Oil £1,250 Sandwich Terns against the wind Oil £595 Victoria Edwards SWLA African Jacana Mixed media £450 John Foker SWLA Auks on a rock Acrylic £580
99
Dead Sea Swifts Monotype & collage £450
100
Little Owl, Spixworth Oil £520
101 Long-tailed Tits roaming Oil £490 102
Tern crisis in blue and yellow Monotype & collage £520
Federico Gemma SWLA Bittern Watercolour £480 Blackcap on a Winter Kaki tree Watercolour £580
113
Madeline Goold SWLA Gannet preening and skypointing Stone £950
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105 Couple of wintering Dunlins Watercolour £300
Kittiwakes tumbling and turning Stone £2,500
115
106 Eurasian Curlew, Finland Watercolour £600
Octopus English alabaster £850
116
Seahorse Stone £850
107
*ROG¿QFK RQ D 0LON 7KLVWOH Watercolour £325
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Meadow Pipit Watercolour £600
The delicate precision of birds Stone £1,150
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Red Fox sketches Pencil & watercolour £425
8SULJKW EXWWHUÀ\ IRUP English alabaster £750
119
Wintering Reed Buntings Watercolour £525
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Martin Gibbons 111 Peregrine Falcon - gestural studies Watercolour £200 112
Robert Gillmor SWLA IEA Turnstones Linocut (ed. of 32) £405 (£375 u/f)
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Fred Gordon Poison Dart Frog (red) Bronze (ed. of 25) £995 Poison Dart Frog (yellow) Bronze (ed. of 25) £995 Helen Gordon Jeremiah Bronze (ed. of 25) £2,950 Robert Greenhalf SWLA Blackbirds and Rosehips Woodcut (ed. of 100) £210 (£140 u/f)
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Robert Greenhalf SWLA 123 Departure Woodcut (ed. of 100) £210 (£140 u/f)
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Heron and Shelducks Woodcut (ed. of 100) £210 (£140 u/f)
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125
Little Terns II Woodcut (ed. of 100) £210 (£140 u/f)
136
Grey Heron Ceramic & mixed media £1,450 Michael Hampton SWLA CAS 1st year Grey Heron, Kent Watercolour £660 Falcated Teal, Arundel Watercolour £950
144
Andrew Haslen SWLA 3 Waxwings Hand coloured linocut (ed. of 40) £550
145 5 Waxwings Hand coloured linocut (ed. of 40) £550 146
126 Shelducks and Godwits Oil £490
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127 Shovelers Woodcut (ed. of 100) £210 (£140 u/f)
138 3DWWHU À\LQJ *UHEH 6XUUH\ Watercolour £600
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139 <DIÃ&#x20AC;H 6XUUH\ Watercolour £370
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Brown Hare Linocut (ed. of 15) £260 (£220 u/f)
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Shelduck quintet Linocut (ed. of 15) £350 (£315 u/f)
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Wall top Curlew Woodcut (ed. of 5) £460 (£410 u/f)
Three Lapwings Oil £490
129 Waxwings Oil £490 6LPRQ *ULI¿WKV $6:/$ 130 %DUQ 2ZO LQ Ã&#x20AC;LJKW Ceramic £1,400 131
Brown Hare 1 Ceramic £950
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Brown Hare 2 Ceramic £950
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Brown Hare 3 Ceramic £950
140
Foam, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset Watercolour £600
Winter Woodcock 2 Hand coloured linocut (ed. of 40) £550
Claire Harkess Little Auks, Hyttevika, Svalbard Watercolour £3,600
141 Waxwings under the supermoon Watercolour £4,800 Jane Harlington 142 Enchanted by Guillemots Printmaking & collage £450 143
Jack Haslam Anteater and baby Etching & aquatint (ed. of 10) £220 (£160 u/f)
John Hatton ASWLA Barnacle trio Linocut (ed. of 15) £350 (£315 u/f)
Francisco Jose Hernandez Fernandez 151 Kentish Plover, looking around Watercolour £450 152
Christopher Hicks Beachcombing Block print (ed. of 10) £160 (£120 u/f)
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+RYHUÀ\ RQ ,Y\ ÀRZHUV Block print (ed. of 10) £120 (£95 u/f)
163
Nesting Kittiwake Watercolour £480
154
On the Grand Union Canal at +DUH¿HOG Block print (ed. of 10) £160 (£120 u/f)
164
Sitting female Eider, Isle of May Watercolour £1,400
155
Scorpaena Porcus (Cornwall) Block print (ed. of 5) £160 (£120 u/f)
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Turnstones at East Cowes Block print (ed. of 25) £160 (£120 u/f)
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Lisa Hooper A quarrel of Sparrows Reduction linocut (ed. of 20) £400 Learg Dubh Linocut (ed. of 30) £200 (£170 u/f)
159
Sandwich Terns Reduction woodcut (ed. of 17) £350
160
Shovelers Mixed media & relief print (ed. of 20) £450 (£400 u/f)
Nye Hughes 161 Gannets on Bass Rock Watercolour £1,200 162
Landscape with Shags, Guillemots and Gull, Fast Castle Watercolour £1,700
166
Emily Ingrey-Counter Nesting Shag, Isle of May Mixed media £695 Richard Jarvis ASWLA Evening Lapwing Linoprint & watercolour (ed. of 20) £125 (£95 u/f)
167
Ruffs and Dunlin Linoprint & watercolour (ed. of 20) £125 (£95 u/f)
168
Skylarks in the snow Linoprint & watercolour (ed. of 20) £125 (£95 u/f)
169
Turtle Dove in the old pear Linoprint & watercolour (ed. of 20) £125 (£95 u/f)
170
Woodcock Linoprint & watercolour (ed. of 20) £195 (£170 u/f)
171
Wryneck Linoprint & watercolour (ed. of 20) £125 (£95 u/f)
172
Richard Johnson SWLA Juvenile Wood Sandpiper Burwell Fen Watercolour £800
173
Little Gull trio - Salthouse Watercolour £1,200
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Little Ringed Plover Fen Drayton Watercolour £800
175
Nesting Black-winged Stilt Burwell Fen Watercolour £800
176
Preening Little Egret Burwell Fen Watercolour £450
177
Kittie Jones SWLA Arctic Tern colony, Shetland Mixed media £895
178
Nesting Eider Monotype £750
179
Northumbrian Woodpecker Screenprint (ed. of 21) £275 (£195 u/f)
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Razorbill Screenprint (ed. of 14) £325 (£240 u/f)
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Reclining seal Mixed media £895
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Kittie Jones SWLA Seabird ledges, St Abb’s Head Mixed media £875
201
Sloth Bear and twins Ceramic £2,250 Julia Manning ASWLA RE Raven’s nest Linocut & etching (ed. of 5) £990 (£700 u/f)
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Bathers 2 Oil £3,995
202
Hilary Kington Redshank sunrise Watercolour £495
193
Pool movement, life between the reeds Oil £4,500
Melanie Mascarenhas 203 0HOOL¿FD Oil based monotype £360
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Raw marsh Oil £4,000
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186 ‘New Hope’ - Mating Slenderbilled Curlews Watercolour & bodycolour £950 Cathryn Kuhfeld 6WXG\ RI ¿YH 6SDUURZV Oil £850
Wynona Legg Seabird Drawing Course winner 188 A bazaar of Guillemots Mixed media £650 189 Nesting Razorbills, St Abbs Soft pastel, wax crayon, chinagraph, lead & gouache £500 Matthew Lintott 190 Corvus Woodcut & graphite £365
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Rachel Lockwood SWLA Bathers 1 Oil £3,750
Sleeping seal Mixed media £895
Szabolcs Kokay SWLA 185 ‘Last of the Curlews’ - Eskimo Curlew with American Golden Plovers Oil £1,800
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Aimée Mackay Nesting Shags of Inner Farne Collage £700
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Vestal Cuckoo and host Oil based monotype £320 Tom McOwat 1LJKW ÀLJKW Etching (ed. of 50) £275 (£190 u/f)
Nick Mackman SWLA Bearded pig Ceramic & horse hair £1,950
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Binturong Ceramic & driftwood £2,250
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Ethiopian wolf lying Ceramic £1,950
208
Chain link Tortoise Welded found objects £1,950
199
Ethiopian wolf sitting Ceramic £1,950
209
Kingcombe Roe sketch Welded found objects £750
200
Hare preening Ceramic £1,950
210
Scissor Bee-eater Welded found objects £1,850
196
Swarm 1 Etching (ed. of 25) £145 (£100 u/f) Harriet Mead PSWLA Bottle opener Shield Bug Welded found objects £500
211
Scissor Nuthatch Welded found objects £1,200
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212 Spoon Little Owl Welded found objects NFS
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Tin snip Soldier Beetle Welded found objects £500
214 Two hook Hare Welded found objects £1,200 215
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Ama Menec Persecuted Patinated bronze (ed. of 50) £1,300 Stephen Message Avocets Watercolour £1,400
217
Common Terns Watercolour £900
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Sanderlings Acrylic £1,800
219
Jill Moger SWLA PVPRMS Eyed lizard on a log Stoneware ceramic £800
William Neill SWLA Eider creche, South Uist Watercolour £625 Greenshank, South Uist Watercolour £625
David Parry SWLA 224 Barn Owl at Avebury Oil £460 225
Nuthatch Watercolour £875
233
Meeting on the river Oil £1,250
234
3XI¿QV RU QXI¿Q¶" Oil £3,500
235
Redshanks Watercolour £450
236
Swallows and Glastonbury Oil £750
237
Bruce Pearson SWLA Piping Oystercatchers Relief print (ed. of 12) £475 (£385 u/f)
226
Peregrine Oil £680
227
Wheatear Gouache £460
228
Woodcock Watercolour & gouache £540
239
Peter Partington SWLA Barn Owl moon Oil £3,500
240
“I must go down to the seas again” Monotype £415
230
Hunting in the Lee - Hirundines Oil £1,500
241
Morning Egret Acrylic £285
242
Woodland afternoon (Later) 15.7.17 Acrylic £285
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220
Octopus on rock with mussels Stoneware ceramic £1,200
231
Lapwings Watercolour £475
221
Two young Hawksbill Turtles Stoneware ceramic £1,300
232
Light on the mud Oil £950
238
Winter birds, Senegal Watercolour & mixed media £2,500 Antonia Phillips SWLA Harlequin win! Acrylic £285
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Antonia Phillips SWLA Woodland afternoon 15.7.17 Acrylic £285
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Drawing 8 Mixed media £900
244
Woodland afternoon 19.7.17 Acrylic £285
Greg Poole SWLA 255 $]XUH 'DPVHOÀ\ VWXGLHV Wax crayon £320
245
Woodland afternoon 24.7.17 Acrylic £285
256 &DUGHU %HH RQ WRDGÀD[ Gouache & wax crayon £380
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Woodland Summer song Monotype £415
257 Gatekeepers and Bees on Scabious Gouache & wax crayon £450
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Nik Pollard SWLA Drawing 1 Mixed media £900
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Drawing 2 Mixed media £900
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Drawing 3 Mixed media £900
250
Drawing 4 Mixed media £900
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258 Gatekeepers, Scabious, Ragwort Acrylic £420 259
Hoopoe, Collared Flycatcher, Redstart, Crete Monotype £600
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Wheatear, Yellow Gentian and Martagon Lily - Alps Acrylic £750
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Yellow-mandibled Toucan Costa Rica Monotype £600
Drawing 5 Mixed media £900
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Drawing 6 Mixed media £900
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Drawing 7 Mixed media £900
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Bill Prickett ASWLA Leafy Sea Dragon Birch plywood £1,350 Manta Lignum vitae £950
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Alastair Proud SWLA Peregrine and stormy skies Oil £950 Tranquil seas and Shearwaters Oil £1,850 Gary Ramskill 7DNLQJ ÀLJKW Linocut (ed. of 100) £150 (£95 u/f) John Reaney SWLA Caught unawares Watercolour & gouache £615
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Harvest moon Watercolour £600
269
Old Sussex Watercolour & gouache £575
270
Puzzlement Watercolour £575
271
The night folk Watercolour NFS
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Darren Rees SWLA Black-browed Albatross in wake (From Ice Bound) Watercolour £475 Shag Flotilla, Rothera (From Ice Bound) Watercolour £425
274
Snow Petrel (From Ice Bound) Watercolour £425
284
Bittern over the fen Pastel £1,440
295
Little Grebes and waterlilies Screenprint (ed. of 4) £450
275
Sooty Albatross (From Ice Bound) Watercolour £425
285
Brent Geese Pastel £1,440
296
Long-tailed Tits Screenprint (ed. of 7) £420
276
Wandering Albatross Watercolour £395
286
Guillemots recently arrived Pastel £1,440
297
Nesting Swallows Screenprint (ed. of 4) £430
287
Rising water and Curlew Oil £1,640
288
Short-eared Owl over the fen Pastel £1,050
299
Chris Sinden SWLA Frosty morning Linocut (ed. of 25) £215 (£180 u/f)
300
Kittiwakes Linocut (ed. of 19) £185 (£150 u/f)
301
Lunch Linocut (ed. of 24) £185 (£150 u/f)
Black-tailed Godwits Oil £780
302
Out and about Linocut (ed. of 28) £215 (£180 u/f)
Dusk watch Oil £780
303
Winter Finches Linocut (ed. of 30) £185 (£150 u/f)
Eider creche Oil £940
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Grey Seal siesta Oil £880
305
-XVW ¿QH Pastel & pencil £280
Derek Robertson 277 Les Petits. Jungle Refugee Camp Calais Watercolour £780 278
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We were never so cold. Refugee Camp Calais Mixed media £2,950 Ruth Robinson Corvid 1 Bronze (ed. of 5) £490 Chris Rose SWLA Aberlady Bay Acrylic £1,950 Abernethy Forest pool Acrylic £1,950
'D¿OD 6FRWW 6:/$ 282 $ VLQJOH /DSZLQJ ÀHZ E\ Acrylic £1,640 283 Barn Owl over the fen Pastel £1,050
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Jane Smith SWLA Fieldfares Screenprint (ed. of 6) £460
298
Andrew Stock PPSWLA RE A time-step of Turnstones Oil £15,500 Rebecca Thorley-Fox Little Owl, Bardsey Island Oil £1,250 John Threlfall SWLA Big skies Pastel £680
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John Threlfall SWLA Kittiwake Oil £340 Mutual support Mixed media £540
Richard Tratt SWLA 308 &RPPD %XWWHUÀ\ DQG &KDONKLOO Blues Oil £695 309
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Marbled White and Meadow Brown Oil £695 0DUWLQ 'RZQ EXWWHUÀLHV Oil £1,200 Northern Brown Argus on Rock Rose Oil £365
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The Large Heath in Shropshire Oil £365
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The Painted Lady, Dorset Coast Oil £520
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The Purple Emperor Oil £650
315
Thistle visitors, the Peacock and Red Admiral Oil £950
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0DUWLQ 7UXH¿WW %DNHU Magpie silver Acrylic £900
327
Farm Sparrow Oil £450
328
Farm Sparrows Oil £1,800
329
Juv Peregrine, local quarry Oil £2,500
330
Sparrow on farm scrap Oil £600
331
Giraffe (Rothschild’s) Oil £975
Starlings on feeder Oil £1,900
332
Lion Oil £975
Winter Sparrow Oil £550
333
Winter Sparrows Oil £650
Usk Trout 1 Linoprint (ed. of 8) £260 (£170 u/f)
Simon Turvey SWLA 318 Cheetah Oil £975 319 Elephant herd Oil £1,265 320
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Lions at Masai Mara Oil £1,475 Matriarch Oil £975
324 Wildebeest Oil £975 325 Young elephant Oil £975 Esther Tyson SWLA 326 3 Sparrows Oil £1,900
334
Matt Underwood SWLA Catkins and Primroses Woodblock print (ed. of 60) £160 (£120 u/f)
335
(LGHU ÀLJKW Woodblock print (ed. of 30) £350 (£300 u/f)
336
Iris Woodblock print (ed. of 100) £160 (£120 u/f)
337
May blossom Woodblock print (ed. of 100) £160 (£120 u/f)
338
Puffins Woodblock print (ed. of 30) £280 (£240 u/f)
339
Roost Woodblock print (ed. of 60) £300 (£250 u/f)
349
Ben Woodhams SWLA 19 Kittiwake studies, St Abbs, Scotland. June 2017 Watercolour £450
350
0 Kittiwake studies, St Abbs, 4 Scotland. June 2017 Watercolour £750
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t Abbs through the day, June S 2016 Watercolour £1,800
Michael Warren SWLA 342 Bee-eaters Watercolour £650
352
tudies of dead Pheasant cock S and Long-tailed Duck drake Watercolour £1,800
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Lapwings and Golden Plovers Watercolour £2,200
344
Long-tailed Tits Watercolour £650
Darren Woodhead SWLA 353 Fieldfare and Hawthorn berries Watercolour £5,495
345
Ringed Plover Watercolour £650
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Snowdrop Robin Woodblock print (ed. of 100) £160 (£120 u/f) Spindle Bullfinches Woodblock print (ed. of 60) £300 (£250 u/f)
354
Kingfisher courtship studies Watercolour £1,250
355
Ringed Plover and young Watercolour £650
ong-eared Owl in Sea L Buckthorn Watercolour £4,595
356
Song Thrush Watercolour £650
Red Admirals and passing Hobby Watercolour £2,450
357
Wheatear Watercolour £650
Roosting Teal Watercolour £4,595
358
Willow Warbler studies Watercolour £1,250
359
Tim Wootton SWLA linging on: Kittiwakes at C Marwick Head Mixed media £850
360
Fulmar Oil £485
361
ock Pipits hunting in Sea R Mayweed, Marwick Head Oil £695
362
ousay from Grory, Eynhallow R with Arctic Skuas Oil £675
363
Snow in Spring Conté & watercolour £850
364
Three Waxwings Oil £795
76
Jane Smith SWLA Nesting Swallows Screenprint ed. of 4
92
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Robert Greenhalf Cormorants and waders Collagraph Greg Poole Yellow Wagtail Gouache
Robert Greenhalf Whimbrels and godwits Monoprint
Greg Poole Sand Martins Gouache
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Harriet Mead ‘Funnel’ Welded found objects
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Robert Greenhalf Warblers and heron Woodcut
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Flight Lines
Personal Narrative Malcolm Green and I felt a mixture of excitement, disbelief and relief as we squinted at the cursor on the GPS screen. After six days of hard travelling; 15 hours of flights, 18 hours by train, 220 km gruelling off-road driving and 8 km on foot, we finally stood in a picturesque valley frequented by two of the BTO’s tagged Cuckoos. Cuckoo flight data and our stubborn resolve had led us to a remote part of the Batéké Plateau, in eastern Gabon, close to the Congolese border. Visually this landscape is the sister of Cumbria or central Wales. Lone trees, serving as ideal perches, stud verdant grass and rolling scrubland fringed by rich gallery forest under a porcelain blue sky. Yet my other senses painted a very different picture. The air is fragrant but arid, the sun fierce and the heat utterly oppressive. The Cuckoo is one of Britain’s best loved and studied migratory birds. We adore its distinctive call and cheeky breeding habits but our empathy and understanding has thus far been restricted to our shores and done little to halt a rapid population decline. The BTO’s study empirically proves, that after an epic and perilous journey, our Cuckoos spend the majority of winter here in Central Africa. Packing a long lens or binoculars and attempting to spot a Cuckoo was a distraction, it felt frivolous and even selfish. Instead I was determined to explore, document and publish the human and geographic narratives that the birds inhabit and share in Gabon. In so doing I hope to bring this little known country closer to home and help focus a future lens of conservation efforts and study towards it.
The future I can recall the day as clearly as if it were yesterday. It was April and we were in the Surrey/Hampshire borderlands leading a training course for BTO nest recorders. The weather was unseasonably poor and we were descending into the Devil’s Punch Bowl, a deep valley alongside the A3 at Hindhead, where we would spend time watching Tree Pipits, Woodlarks and Redstarts back to their nests. This is a site that I know from my youth, a site where Redstarts and Wood Warblers used to be common and where I used to birdwatch or search for reptiles and insects. As we work our way down the steep slope, our gaze firmly fixed on the wet and treacherous path, we catch a few phrases of song that clutch at the memory. The singer is a little distant but still unmistakable; it is a Wood Warbler, a species I thought had been lost from the county some years back. The previous Wood Warbler nest seen locally had been during the year we had first run a nest recording course here; the nest had been predated and was, quite possibly, the last nesting attempt of a bird that had since disappeared from the area. Working our way across the slope we are drawn towards the singer, finally emerging above a small patch of more mature woodland. We soon spot the bird, his song rich and sibilant just as the text books describe. The quantity of song that this male delivers over the coming minutes suggests that he is alone and unmated. Were he to have a mate nearby he would not sing so strongly. The knowledge that this bird, which has travelled the vast distance back from Africa, is unpaired adds a sense of poignancy to the moment. Here is a species, once so strongly associated with the Beech woods of my youth, that has slipped from our grasp over the course of just a few decades. Of course, it isn’t just from here that the Wood Warbler has been lost; the run of national bird atlases reveal a pattern of decline across much of its former range. This song, such a central component of my childhood soundscape, will no longer be part of the soundscape for the new generations of Surrey birdwatchers who now walk these Beech hangers.
Robert Greenhalf White Cattle and Cattle Egrets, near Richard Toll Pencil and watercolour
Flight Lines
Toby Smith Photojournalist.
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Flight Lines
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Richard Johnson Bluethroat, Fair Isle Watercolour Richard Johnson Whinchat, Blakeney Watercolour
Flight Lines Tracking the wonders of bird migration
The BTO/SWLA Flight Lines project highlights through art and narrative the challenges that migrant birds face and brings to a wider audience the research and conservation work that is being done to help them. This book follows the journeys of those birds that migrate between Britain and Africa, from their departures in autumn to their return in spring. “... beautiful and important book ...” BBC Wildlife Book of the Month – September 2017 Hardback, 224 Pages, Full Colour, £25 Available from www.bto.org, the Mall Galleries and all good bookshops
Visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice 2016 Chris Rose SWLA Long-eared Owl Acrylic 78
SWLA Bursary Award Winners
2009 WINNER Christopher Wallbank 2010 WINNER David Lowther 2011 WINNER Meg Buick 2012 WINNER Gina Ellis 2013 WINNERS Ben Woodhams Kevin Jones
2014 WINNERS Lara Scouller Becky Thorley-Fox Claire Williamson 2015 WINNERS Evelina Flodström David Hunt Rachel Porter 2016 WINNERS Tora Benzeyen * Wynona Legg * Razorbill studies
Thirty-one years of the PJC Drawing Award This year will see the final presentation of the PJC Drawing Award. Created in memory of my wife Pauline and initiated through the British Birds Bird Illustrator of the Year Awards, as an award for individual merit, it returned to the Mall Galleries when those awards ended. Renamed, and courtesy of the Society of Wildlife Artists, it was included in their annual awards. A longer journey than I ever expected, but an enjoyable one for me. It has introduced me to many fine artists and seemingly, it has given them pleasure too. It pleases me that so many of the winners, both here and abroad, have been members of the SWLA – including two Past Presidents – and, of late, others who have been accepted as Members and Associate Members of the Society. This has not been an easy decision to make. Hoping that my daughters might continue the award, in mine and their mother’s name, it was discussed at great length. They consider that the award is essentially mine, suggesting that it run for thirty-one years, that being how long Pauline was part of my life. Between us we felt it was appropriate for the award to live for thirty-one years too. Hence, this is the final year. In 2018 the winner will return the award to be kept, perpetually, in our family. David Cook
An enormous thank you to all our artists for donating postcards for this year’s British Birdwatching Fair at Rutland Water. We raised £3,840 that will go towards our annual SWLA bursary schemes. 79
Wild Birds and Wild Places BIRDscapes: one of the UK’s leading venues for wildlife art. BIRDscapes for: • Great contemporary bird and wildlife art • A wide range of styles, ƌŽŽƚĞĚ ŝŶ ŽďƐĞƌǀĂƟŽŶ ͻ KǀĞƌ ϲϬ ĂƌƟƐƚƐ͕ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ 20 members of the S WL A
WĂŝŶƟŶŐƐ KƌŝŐŝŶĂů WƌŝŶƚƐ Sculptures Sky Dancers Anthony McKay Busy Buddleia DĂƩ hŶĚĞƌǁŽŽĚ ^ t> ZĞƐƟŶŐ ŝĚĞƌƐ Ben Woodhams S WL A
The BIRDscapes Gallery Manor Farm Barns, Glandford, Nr Holt, Norfolk NR25 7JP Open daily 11am to 5pm Next to ARTCafé 01263 741742
art@birdscapes.co.uk
birdscapes.co.uk
Come and share the 29th year of the
John Busby Seabird Drawing Course 16th-23rd June 2018
Stone Carving Tuition with Madeline Goold SWLA
Madeline teaches drawing and stone-carving at her studio in Worcestershire, and encourages students to carve directly into the stone, taking their drawings from sketchbook to sculpture.
www.madelinegoold.co.uk | mmg@madelinegoold.co.uk
Madeline Goold quarter page SWLA.indd 1
21/08/2017 10:07
01394 382235
info@artsafari.co.uk www.artsafari.co.uk
Enjoy a week long field based drawing & painting course. Learn alongside our team of experienced tutors Darren Woodhead, Greg Poole, Kittie Jones and guest tutor TBA Be inspired by the energetic frenzy of the seabird colonies around the Firth of Forth at the height of the breeding season. We welcome applications from any artist who would relish an intensive week working directly from nature.
Painting and photography holidays worldwide: Norway, India, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Malta & Gozo, Galapagos, Zambia, Mongolia, Malawi, USA, Costa Rica, UK workshops & short art breaks. Our inspiring tutors include: Mary-Anne Bartlett, Mark Boyd, Julia Cassels, Roger Dellar, Siân Dudley, Jackie Garner, Claudia Myatt, Karen Pearson, Darren Rees, Maxine Relton, John Threlfall, James Willis
more details from - mark.boyd@zen.co.uk - 01767 650904 Seabird Drawing Art Safari.indd 1
05/09/2017 10:32
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Entries Open NOW For: Wildlife Artist of the Year 2018
Seven categories to suit all artistic styles and mediums. £10,000 TOP PRIZE 9MJ ąSFQNXYX \NQQ KTWR UFWY TK F XYZSSNSL J]MNGNYNTS MTXYJI FY YMJ Mall Galleries, London. (QTXNSL IFYJ YM +JGWZFW^ +TW KZQQ IJYFNQX FSI WZQJX TK JSYW^ UQJFXJ XJJ \\\ IF[NIXMJUMJWI TWL TW HFQQ
Terravesta
The pioneer of sustainable energy from miscanthus, is delighted to sponsor the 54th annual exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists.
www.terravesta.com 01522 731873