Peter Partington SWLA (1941 - 2025)

Bio

Peter Partington was a much-loved member of the SWLA, contributing to countless projects, exhibitions and books with his lively artwork. Moreover, Peter brought humour and good nature to every private view or artists meeting that he ever attended – he was always great company and will be sorely missed. 

Born in 1941 in Cambridge, his family moved to Poole in Dorset when he was eleven, and Peter recalls his interest in nature and landscape formed from his explorations of Poole Harbour, Swanage, Portland Bill and the Purbeck Hills. His abundant talent led him to study painting, drawing and printmaking at Bournemouth College of Art, going on to gain his art teacher’s certificate from Hornsey College of Art. For twenty years he taught painting and drawing full-time.

From the start Peter was attracted to the work of Chinese and Japanese artists that favoured spirit and atmosphere over a feather-by-feather approach to painting birds. He admired the paintings of Frank Southgate, Peter Scott, Charles Tunnicliffe and Eric Ennion, but perhaps the artist that shaped his work most was Richard Talbot Kelly.

For many, Peter went further, using bold brush-strokes to depict both the bird and the environment, capturing the experience of watching the animal in its habitat.

Peter was elected to the SWLA in 1985 and served terms on the society’s council. A printmaker, painter and occasional sculptor he was perhaps best known as a prolific watercolourist. One of his first freelance contracts was for an illustrated version of H.E. Bates’s Down the River (Gollancz). His beautiful watercolours shone from the page and garnered much acclaim establishing Peter’s reputation as a leading portrayer of natural history. It was quickly followed by the popular Learn to Paint Birds in Watercolour (Collins). More art guides included Learn to Draw Wildlife, Learn to Draw Birds, Learn to Draw Animals, Learn to Draw Farm Animals, and (jointly illustrated) Drawing For Beginners, Flights of Imagination and Birds by Character. He was a regular contributor to The Artist magazine, and more recently Peter illustrated Dominic Couzen’s Secret Lives series for Helm/RSPB publishing.

With his ability to conjure images from direct observation in the field Peter was invited to join the fledgling Artist For Nature Foundation by its director Ysbrand Brouwers for the ANF project in the Biebzra Marshes (Poland). Peter contributed further, in Extremadura (Spain), Wexford Coast (Ireland), The Great Fen (UK), and Hedrehely (Hungary) as recent as five years ago (at the age of seventy-eight). Ysbrand adds: ‘Peter also took part in an ANF artists visit to our lodge in Bandhavgarh National Park in India where he created a wonderful mural – he became a dear friend over the years’. 

Peter was a regular exhibitor at the Birdfair, sometimes on his own stand, other times helping out on the SWLA stand. When the Birdfair rebranded as the Global Birdfair Peter provided images for the marquees new names — Peter will be a loss to both the wildlife art and birdwatching community. Tim Appleton MBE adds: ‘He will be missed so much – such a wonderful and inspirational character – always that special twinkle in his eye with his non-stop enthusiasm. His art was in every inch, his personality. His personality was in every inch, his art.’