Brand New!! Review - The Natural Total Exhibition 2017

One of the things which struck me when viewing "The Natural Eye 2017" exhibition of wild fauna fine art is how exciting, vibrant in addition to thoroughly stimulating the ART is - never remove heed the discipline matter.

Three prizewinners inward this shot
I adored Carry Akroyd's serrigraphs - especially the 1 of "Towards Southwold" (top right)
which contained coastline in addition to wild fauna I know well!
Wildlife mightiness hold upward the discipline in addition to the focus - but what interests my optic is the sheer variety and exciting purpose of media, styles, approaches in addition to techniques summation the lineament of execution inward the various ways of making art!  It's an exhibition I ever await frontward to in addition to it really rarely disappoints. It for sure lives upward to its commons high standards this year.

Part of the exhibition inward the Threadneedle Space.
I don't ever experience the same way at every exhibition I see at the Mall Galleries. It too occurred to me that it mightiness hold upward really educational for some of the members of the other FBA societies to accept a await at the annual instruction of the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA)- fifty-fifty if wild fauna fine art is "not their thing".

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There are 364 artworks on display Awards - Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition 2017 how yous tin encounter the exhibition online

This postal service is my review of the exhibition. It follows on from 
If this is the starting fourth dimension postal service you've read, hold upward aware there's lots to a greater extent than images inward these ii posts!

Tomorrow's post will be 
  • a commentary on the kind of artwork gets selected and 
  • why submission criteria volition hold upward a lot clearer side past times side year
in addition to volition too include a count of the release of industrial plant past times members, associates in addition to non-members.

Review of the Exhibition


What did I detect this year?

As higher upward - the diversity in addition to the lineament of the artwork is outstanding. It's ever a welcome sight to encounter BOTH the:
  • unabashed purpose of bold hitting color past times some works 
  • how subtle shades in addition to colours spill out where wild fauna merges alongside its habitat.
A wall which includes really colourful artwork
past times Daniel Cole SWLA who won Birdwatch Artist of the Year 2016
in addition to Brin Edwards
I idea the exhibition looked a fleck to a greater extent than "birdy" than usual this twelvemonth - but I've had an explanation which makes feel to me.

It was pointed out that, inward terms of wild fauna which stays inward 1 house - albeit it mightiness hold upward coming in addition to going, birds are pretty reliable at "turning up" in addition to "staying around" if yous know where to go in addition to where to look.  Thus yous mightiness receive got a moving target - but it's oft 1 which stays inward total view.

LOTS of birds
A wall of handmade woodblock prints on Japanese newspaper past times Matt Underwood SWLA - around the edge
in addition to a woodcut of Blackbirds in addition to Rosehips past times Robert Greenhalf SWLA inward the middle

As ever alongside wild fauna where artwork is NOT produced from photos, yous too postulate a really adept laid upward of binoculars or telescope for seeing your discipline thing from a distance which agency they deport naturally.

It's ever interesting inward this exhibition to encounter both the sketches, sketchbooks in addition to the report sheets.  There were some slap-up images in addition to various styles inward terms of those exhibiting studies.

Red Fox sketches past times Federico Gemma
pencil in addition to watercolour
£425

(large icon of) Studies of dead Pheasant cock in addition to Long-tailed Duck Drake past times Ben Woodhams
watercolour
£1,800
Timed Guillemot sketches past times Wynona Legg
Winner of the 2017 John Busby Seabird Drawing Bursary
(top) 1 in addition to ii infinitesimal timed drawings
(bottom) xxx minute timed drawings
Read to a greater extent than most Wynona Legg's experience in Wynona Legg – bursary winner 2017

The sculpture is, every bit always, various in addition to excellent. I think it's the starting fourth dimension time I've seen a bear alongside cubs in addition to I'm too pretty sure it's the starting fourth dimension time I've seen a Pangolin. What I taste is the natural await of the 3D discipline matter.

Nick Mackman SWLA's display of a bearded pig, hare, Ethiopian wolves in addition to a sloth bear alongside twin cubs 
An Armadillo, a Pangolin in addition to a Tortoise - inward bronze - past times Adam Binder SWLA

Some of the watercolour icon is top quality. 

In my thought it exceeds inward lineament that seen inward the watercolour competitions in addition to exhibitions of the watercolour societies.  (Some watercolour contest judges need to hold upward introduced to exemplary demonstrations of watercolour - in addition to it seems to me that Darren Woodhead's go would hold upward a adept house to start!)

I'm ever hugely impressed alongside whatever Darren Woodhead produces. It's every bit if he's ever challenging himself on a "less is more" dimension - in addition to simply how petty pigment he needs to purpose to create the icon he wants to make. The fact that he creates all his paintings 'in the field' makes them all the to a greater extent than impressive! I adore watercolours where at that spot is no low-cal edge, it's suggested through the lineament of the pattern in addition to composition in addition to what gets painted in addition to what gets left. His watercolour paintings are almost minimalist inward a zen similar way.
A Graduate of the Royal College of Art, he industrial plant straight off inward brush in addition to watercolour outside: at that spot is no studio.
Roosting Teal by Darren Woodhead SWLA
Watercolour
£4,595

Kingfisher Courtship studies past times Darren Woodhead SWLA
watercolour
£1,250
The printmaking on display is various, numerous in addition to absolutely starting fourth dimension class - at every grade inward terms of technique in addition to size. There seems to hold upward every kind of fine fine art printmaking on display somewhere inward the gallery.

The wall below includes prints by
Little grebes, too known every bit Dabchicks, motion from the sea-lochans onto fresh H2O to breed. In summertime I heard their high wickering call, but they never allow me approach really close. They were diving for pocket-sized fish to feed their chicks, whilst damselflies skimmed higher upward the waterlilies.

Fine Art Prints of birds in addition to mammals
The pocket-sized wall of prints - on the left every bit yous walk into the North Gallery is especially noteworthy. I especially liked the plane prints past times Richard Allen SWLA (a woodcutter) in addition to Richard Jarvis ASWLA (linocutter). The subsequently explains on his website most how he approaches linocuts in addition to printmaking - which, of course, starts alongside sketches.
    Excellent prints past times (Left) Richard Allen; (top in addition to right) Richard Jarvis;
    summation Lisa Hooper in addition to Robert Gillmor
    The prints did brand me wonder if artists had had a give-and-take most the best prices for smaller industrial plant every bit at that spot seemed to hold upward a feel of understanding betwixt artists every bit to how to pitch prices relative to size. That mightiness of course of instruction receive got developed from knowing a lot most how to larn the pricing right!

    Most of the exhibition is given over to native animals in addition to birds - in addition to those that see these Isles. Although the Society boasts international members in addition to some for sure go for their art, there's really petty past times way of what people mightiness conventionally think of every bit wild fauna i.e. lions, tigers in addition to elephants.

    Notwithstanding that at that spot is sculpture that highlights unusual wild fauna in addition to I spotted 1 wall of artwork inward the North Gallery relating to wild fauna seen inward Africa past times a fellow member artist.  I dont remember seeing whatever such artwork inward the residuum of the exhibition. 'International' animals seem to hold upward pretty much express to the sculptors....

    Lions in addition to elephants etc past times Simon Turvey SWLA
    I sat inward the middle of the exhibition alongside my loving cup of tea in addition to tried coming upward alongside words to pull the show
    • very graphic in addition to calligraphic describes some of the industrial plant which taste mark-making
    • very unloose in addition to lush - there's really petty tight in addition to super controlled photorealism inward this show. Instead nosotros receive got people who receive got fabulous command of their brushes in addition to purpose of watercolour. I simply dear watching what some of the artists achieve
    • very petty that's bashful in addition to lots that cry "look at me". That's non to state they're loud. It's simply that they're non inward whatever way weak or backward most coming forward.
    • lots of ruby-red spots (sales) in addition to light-green spots (unframed prints) - these are achieved non simply because wild fauna fine art has a large fan base of operations but too because the artwork is excellent.
    in addition to finally
    • very British! Lots of native in addition to indigenous animals every bit good every bit the regular visitors!
    Tomorrow - the kind of artwork that gets selected in addition to how to assistance your chances!

    Projects in addition to a video


    One of the things I similar most this exhibition is that it takes over the entire gallery - in addition to and hence uses the ii far galleries inward the North Galleries to exhibit sketchwork in addition to drawings done plein air every bit business office of projects.

    This is a lodge which believes in:
    • making its fine art contribute to people's understanding of wildlife; and
    • enabling others to prepare their skills in addition to larn used to drawing wild fauna inward the field!
    This video is of the wild fauna acre report projects undertaken past times the SWLA inward 2017. See too yesterday's post VIDEO: Wildlife Field Study sketches past times the SWLA

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