ART DAR

For more than 300 years, Britain’s wildlife has captivated scientists and artists alike.

A long and complex history of geological events in the British Isles not only laid the foundation for a wide range of economically valuable resources, such as metal ores and coal, but strongly influenced plant and animal diversity. Britain’s temperate climate makes for an ideal home for a great diversity of wildlife and vegetation, and an important stopover for migratory birds due to its position at the edge of the continent of Europe.

Before photography, illustration was the only visual medium available to help scientists record and understand the details of the natural world. Much of the artwork produced was not for decorative purposes, but to aid in identification and classification.

During the eighteenth century, accurate illustrations of the natural world became crucial to advancing scientific knowledge. It was ideal to have an image alongside descriptive text, to provide the fullest possible account of the subject.

The original work of English wildlife artists was not readily available in the late 1950s and yet this was a time of widespread and growing interest in natural history. In 1960, Robert Gillmor and Eric Ennion, with the enthusiastic support of Peter Scott, Keith Shackleton and Maurice Bradshaw, organised an exhibition of contemporary bird paintings. Such was the interest shown, the inaugural exhibition of the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) was held in London and opened by James Fisher in August 1964. The exhibition featured 149 works by 35 founder members, eight of whom are still members. By 2009 there were 359 works selected for the annual exhibition and the Society had 73 elected members and 7 Associate Members.