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The Natural Eye 2024 61st Exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists in the East Gallery of the Mall Galleries |
I saw the Annual Exhibition 2024 of the
Society of Wildlife Artists
in two parts last week - however they were mixed up with blood tests,
innoculations, the Van Gogh Exhibition and a rather remarkable exhibition of
bronze desert plants in Chelsea. So my brain was a tad overloaded last
week! Which is why this review is rather late!
Also, this week, I'm having problems syncing my photos between iPhone and
Macbook and then between Macbook and Facebook. I've managed to get one
album on FB so far - but the photos aren't all in the right order and some are
missing - which I find intensely irritating.
(If you saw my folder and file structures you'd know why - I'm VERY
organised when it comes to photos and documents).
So - mega whinge out of the way - what I did think of the exhibition?
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| View of the West Gallery |
First, a reminder of the SWLA aims which include
seeks to generate an appreciation of and delight in the natural world
through all forms of fine art based on or representing the world’s
wildlife.Through exhibitions and publications of fine art, the
Society aims to further an awareness of the importance of conservation in
order to maintain the variety of the world’s ecosystems and its
wildlife.
As usual, the SWLA Annual Exhibition is possibly the most contemporary of ALL
the FBA Societies (and others) exhibiting at the Mall Galleries.
It includes paintings, drawings, collage, sculpture, original prints and
animation!
(I'm seeing more and more videos and animation in art shows). The work
is of a very high quality and I'd highly recommend all those aspiring to be
selected from the open entry and exhibit in the show to view a visit to the
exhibition as a MUST DO if they are to get the scope and flavour of the
exhibition.
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| Looking towards the end wall of the West Gallery |
The 61st annual exhibition of the SWLA, The Natural Eye is open to the public until 27 October 10am-5pm (closes 1pm final day).
I try to show people what it looks like with my photos. These will be going
online just as soon as I can browbeat my devices and software to talk to one
another!! Links below.....
- North Gallery
- East Gallery - to be uploaded
- West Gallery - to be uploaded
It's always splendid to see the many and various ways SWLA members - and
those submitting via the open entry - choose to create artwork to display
wildlife.
There are 367 artworks in the show:
some 51 have been sold since last Wednesday, including lots of
birds - which is impressive!-
The majority (excluding the sculpture) of sales are for less than a
£1,000 proving yet again that - the affordable art market is alive and
well - but artworks above £1,000 still struggle to find a buyer.
(Who knows, it may change after the Budget on 30th October!)
The number of artworks is rather less than last year's 60th anniversary
show - but there seem to be more larger artworks this year.
Alongside the exhibition there has been a
programme of events including a workshop, talks and demonstrations of
painting and drawing. Most were last week, however on Thursday this week
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Richard Allen will demonstrate his techniques, while showing and
talking about his sketchbooks and watercolours. -
Harriet Mead, President of the Society, will be leading a tour of the
exhibition at 2pm Thursday 24 October. No booking required.
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| Another view of the East Gallery |
While a lot of the artwork is representative, it is also very much NOT
like the more conventional wildlife exhibitions which tend to be
dominated by big cats and birds and a lot of hyperealism!
For example, this year it even has its own mollusc corner!
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| Molluscs and spiders are on the walls this year - literally |
There are, of course, very many birds in this exhibition - because
there are very many wildlife artists who love to watch and paint
birds.
What's wonderful is that see very many of them do so in their
habitat or aim to paint to display their behavioural traits. These are
typically artworks which are created by artists who spend a lot of
time observing - and sketching - and sometimes painting plein air in
front of their subjects. Indeed one of the joys of the exhibition is
seeking very many sketchbooks or tear sheets where an artist had drawn
or painted the same subject again and again and again.
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Wynona Legg SWLA is also a full time Conservation Officer with the RSPB in Norfolk |
One such artist is Wynona Legg SWLA, who was delightful to meet.
Wynona works in materials that offer immediacy when drawing subjects directly from life, most often inks, graphite, charcoal and soft pastel. Drawing is at the core of her practice and often forms the finished work. Gestural line and partly abstracted shape and form convey familiar subjects. She explores mark making, as a filter between true representation and emotional response.
She works as a conservation officer on the North Norfolk coast
and draws and paints a LOT of Ring Plovers. She had the display below
in the East Gallery and a Bursary Award project on display in the
North Gallery.
She also won the The BIRDscapes Gallery "Conservation through Art'
Award for her mixed media painting "Beyond the Blue Rope"
I was told a wonderful story by Darren Woodhead SWLA about the watercolour painting which won him the The Art Safari
Works on Paper Award. It has the great and intriguing title of
November storm over Islay, with Stoat footprints.
Darren Woodhead was born in West Yorkshire in 1971, but has lived
in Scotland since 1996. He is a graduate of the Royal College of
Art in London. All his work is produced outside on location and
drawn directly in brush, there is rarely any pre-drawing. By
working direct from life, he aims to retain the freshness and
energy that working outside can give, often in extreme weather
conditions.
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Winner of The Art Safari Works on Paper Award
November storm over Islay, with Stoat footprints by Darren Woodhead SWLA watercolour 66x102cm (91x123cm framed) |
Darren paints with extreme dexterity and skill and colour/tonal
appreciation - with his paper on a board which is either on his knees
as he sits or on the ground. Some of you may have experienced the
trials of trying to paint on an easel in places which can be more than
a bit breezy and how easels have a tendency to fall over.
Painting big as Darren often does just creates an invitation for an
artwork to "take off". However if you paint while sat on the ground,
you might get different challenges - as happened on this
occasion.
A rabbit ran over the painting - and was chased by a stoat. The latter
managed to run across his watercolour palette first and BOUNCED across
the painting leaving two ochre/brown footprints in the storm clouds -
which are clearly visible when you look closely. Hence the title!
Artists change track at times and this exhibition features the new
sculptures created by
Andrew Haslen SWLA
who lives with Parkinson's disease. He has been a really impressive
draughtsman and colourist in the past, however he's now determined to
continue to vbe creative and is painting more quickly and freely and
at the same time developing work as a sculptor and one corner of the
exhibition had a number of his sculptures.
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| Andrew Haslen's new sculptures in the West Gallery |
Bursaries & Projects
I saw four splendid displays of unframed art produced by four projects in the
field
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Wynona Legg
- Life on the upper shore (Ringed Plover families on a Norfolk
beach). On her website you can also see the locations of other
series of drawings created, often using a webcam to observe from a
distance -
Paul Henery
- My Scottish Year - Juan de Souza's fieldwork drawings as winner of the SWLA Natural Eye Bursary
- The Seabird Drawing Course Bursary
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| Unframed artwork and sketchbooks from two bursaries |
The John Busby Seabird Drawing Week: A field sketching and painting week based in East Lothian, dedicated to the memory of John Busby, David Measures and Greg Poole. Led by Darren Woodhead and Nik Pollard, the course takes place in late June/early July and is based at Winterfield Golf Club, Dunbar.
Awards and Prizewinners
You can find all the Prizewinners listed on the Natural Eye 2024 Award Winners
page on the SWLA's new website.
The SLWA is a really informal and friendly society and on the PV day I saw brand new exhibitors being very much encouraged by SWLA members to enter their work for the bursaries which the SWLA award each year for specific projects.
REFERENCE: Society of Wildlife Artists
My blog posts include images of artwork in the annual
exhibitions:
2023 -
Review: 60th Annual Exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists
2022 -
Review: Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition 2022
