A - Z of Animals in The Natural Eye
/ Society of Wildlife Artists
‘The Natural Eye’, the Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition has over 300 pieces of work. We have brought together the best of wildlife artists working across all mediums, from painting to printmaking to sculpture. This A - Z (or A - Y as we haven’t got any zebras!) guide of animals within the exhibition is a great way for you to explore the range of works we have on offer!
A for Armadillo
Armadillo, Anine Cockwell-DeJong, Stone, 11 x 11 x 11 cm, £1,600.
Anine describes her sculpture: ‘Safe in its own personal lockdown, this is a young three-banded Armadillo, its defence system makes it safe from pumas and jaguars. Their real threat though is the destruction of their habitat. The sculpture is carved from Kenyan Soapstone. A soft and friendly stone that is hard enough for fine detail and deep undercutting.’
B for Badger
Moonlight forager, Chris Sinden SWLA, Linocut (edition of 30, 5 available), 9 x 18 cm (25 x 35 cm framed), £145.
Chris shares his printmaking process: ‘While some of my linocuts have a more conventional format, I have developed a collage-style of printing where smaller images butt up against each other to make a larger final picture. By using slightly unmatched colours and details and working to an irregular shaped format, my linocuts take on a collage-style appearance.’
C for Cheetah
Masai Mara Cheetah, David Parry SWLA, Watercolour, 25.5 x 25.5 cm (46 x 46 cm framed), £950.
After being sent to Zimbabwe to produce drawings for children’s books published by Longmans at the age of 25, David Parry was inspired to progress from Natural History illustration to full-time wildlife painting, with an emphasis upon African wildlife. David visits East Africa regularly and continues to produce drawings and paintings of big cats in particular.
D for Demoiselle (Damselfly)
Turquoise cloud (Banded Demoiselles), Philippa Mitchell, Oil, 46 x 61 cm (50 x 65 cm framed), £885.
Phillipa describes her creative process and inspiration behind the painting: ‘Painted on a burnt umber and olive green ground, with marks lifted out by brush, this gives the suggestion of vegetation with indistinct quick brush strokes. The banded demoiselles are scattered with blurred wings. There is white-hot sunlight at the top right, reflecting off the water of a small stream below. Where the light hits the vegetation and the damselflies there are bright spots of colour. The sun is shining on the bed of the stream and dappling the bank. The brushes used are relatively large flat brushes together and some palette knife scraping. This stream adjoins my mother's garden in Somerset and when I was helping her remove Himalayan balsam from the banks, we were caught in this delightful cloud of turquoise.’
E for Eagle
White-tailed Eagle, Richard Allen SWLA, Linocut (edition of 50, 4 available), 13 x 13 cm (32 x 32 cm framed), £145.
Richard’s lino print depicts a white-tailed Eagle over the Scottish coast pursued by calling terns.
F for Flamingo
Flamboyance, Stephen Mitchell, Acrylic, 91 x 41 cm, £1,200.
Stephen explains: ‘This is an original painting of a gathering of pink flamingos. Inspired by visits to the Paradise Park in Cornwall, I was drawn to the vivid coral pink colours of the Caribbean flamingos, combined with the soft greens and browns of the background.’
G for Guillemot
Guillemot cluster, Kittie Jones SWLA, Pastel, graphite, ink & gouache, 56 x 50 cm (70 x 64 cm framed), £850.
Kittie shares her inspiration: ‘I love the way Guillemots can look visually in the colony, so many strange shapes are made as they cluster together. This piece was made as I tried to get to grips with that idea while watching them at St Abb's Head.’
H for Hare
Mountain Hare, Chris Rose SWLA, Oil, 33 x 46 cm (45 x 58 cm framed), £650
Chris’ painting is of a Mountain Hare hunkered down in the snow.
I for Ibex
Ibex - At the top of the mountains, Yang Dong, Bronze (edition of 8, 8 available), 62 x 55 x 30 cm, £10,000.
Yang’s bronze sculpture has a golden finish adding to the majestic feel of the ibex.
K for Kingfisher
Kingfisher in Hogweed, David Bennett SWLA, Watercolour, 33 x 51 cm (54 x 72 cm framed), £715.
David’s watercolour painting depicts the brightly coloured bird perched amongst the hogweed.
L for Lion
Etosha Lion, John Dobbs NEAC SWLA, Oil, 15 x 30 cm (19 x 34 cm framed), £750.
John explains: ‘Etosha is one of the great national parks in Africa and I have been there on a few occasions and have always had good encounters with lions.’
M for Monkey
Black Capped Capuchin, Iain Nutting, Welded steel, 31 x 19 x 27 cm, £1,950.
Iain’s sculptures are drawn from life then constructed in reclaimed steel. They reflect his belief in the importance of the conservation of animals and of the natural environment.
This Black Cap Capuchin was observed and drawn from life at the Wales Ape and Monkey Sanctuary (WAMS). Iain explains: ‘Capuchins are fascinating animals to watch as they are so active, inquisitive, bold, cheeky and obviously intelligent. Their expressions and human-like eyes make them particularly appealing to us. In the wild their main threats are from humans and habitat loss. Their natural habitat is rain forest, mangroves, and deciduous dry forest, where they will forage from ground level right up into the canopy.’
N for Nightjar
Nightjar, Andrew Haslen SWLA, Oil, 60 x 75 cm (65 x 80 cm framed), £1,800.
The Nightjar is an unusual nocturnal bird. They spend their days sitting and nesting on the floor, cryptically camouflaged in greys and browns they look like a fallen log and are near impossible to spot, but as dusk arrives they emerge. Here Andrew has depicted one perched amongst some pink bell-shaped flowers.
O for Owl
Tawny Owl, Matt Underwood SWLA, Woodblock print (edition of 60, 10 available), 48.5 x 28 cm (66 x 46 cm framed), £350.
Matt has layered different brightly coloured layers of woodblock prints on top of one another to form this eye catching print of a tawny owl amongst the leaves.
P for Plover
Ringed Plovers, Daniel Cole SWLA, Oil, 19 x 19 cm (30 x 30 cm framed), £400
Daniel Cole combines his depictions of birds with playful graphic shapes. The ringed plover is a small wading bird.
R for Redwing
Redwing, Rowan and Ravens, Richard Jarvis SWLA, Linocut & watercolour (edition of 20, 4 available), 15 x 15 cm (32 x 32 cm framed), £125.
This is one of a series of linocut prints produced by Richard Jarvis for his self-published book 'My A - Z of British Wildlife', for the letter ‘R’ this print depicts a redwing bird perched in a rowan plant, with ravens flying overhead in the background.
S for Seal
Last light of a Summer day - Curlews and Grey Seals on Switha, Tim Wootton SWLA,Oil, 36 x 60 cm (56 x 80 cm framed), £1,450.
Tim’s painting shows a beautiful group of seals basking amongst the rocks at the edge of the sea, in the setting sun whilst some curlews fly past.
T for Turnstone
Turnstone, Robert Gillmor MBE PPSWLA, Screenprint (edition of 35, 10 available), 25 x 25 cm (45 x 45 cm framed), £350.
The process of screenprinting allows for bright colours to be used, as Robert has done with his bright oranges, creating an eye catching image of a turnstone amongst the pebbles and shells of a beach.
V for Vulture
Angel of death, Dijon Ross, Graphite pencil, 54 x 120 cm (74 x 140 cm framed), £1,650.
Dijon explains his inspiration behind the drawing: ‘Vultures, though much-maligned, are absolutely vital to ecosystems, doing the so-called dirty work after the more glamorous predators have had their fill. This drawing attempts to portray the White-backed Vulture's magnificence, fanning its majestic wings to catch the early morning rays of sunshine.
W for Wild Dogs
Midday malaise, Wild Dog, Nick Mackman SWLA, Ceramic, 12 x 55 x 20 cm, £2,750.
Nick explains: ‘Painted Dogs or African Wild dogs are my favourite subject, and here I wanted to capture the down time in a dog's life. They are very sensible and see out the hottest part of the day under a tree, peacefully snoozing in the safety of the pack. This dog is gently dabbing her eye with her front paw, a gentle quiet moment.'
Y for Yellowhammer
Yellowhammers and Dandelions, Dafila Scott SWLA, Pastel, 25 x 38 cm (43 x 56 cm framed), £770.
Dafila’s lively drawing with expressive mark making techniques shows some yellowhammers foraging in a stubble field, which Dafila observed near her village.
We hope you enjoyed exploring this collection of works within The Natural Eye exhibition, and that it has demonstrated the difference and variety to be found within the pieces that are being exhibited - there truly is something for everyone within this exhibition! As well as coming to visit us at Mall Galleries where the exhibition is on show until Sunday 24 October, all the work within The Natural Eye is available to browse and purchase online.