Exhibition:
This exhibition has been assembled in collaboration with the Charles Tunnicliffe Society. We record our thanks to them, particularly Ken Broughton and Stuart Pittman, and to the many private collectors and public collections who have loaned work. Tunnicliffe was one of the most important and influential nature inspired artists of the twentieth century. His impact is still felt today.
Charles Tunnicliffe (1901 – 1979) was the only son of a shoemaker turned farmer and grew up in Cheshire. All his later work as an artist shows him to be a man totally familiar with the animals and machinery of the farm, and the beauty, customs and modesty of the countryside. After art training in Macclesfield and Manchester, he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art, London, where he won another scholarship for a further year to study etching.
Having worked for a while as a part-time teacher, Tunnicliffe left London in 1928 and returned to Cheshire as a commercial artist. In 1932 he produced the illustrations for Henry Williamson’s Tarka the Otter which was a great success and established the reputations of both artist and author.
From 1947 until his death Tunnicliffe lived on the Isle of Anglesey. He was hard work and versatility personified. Etchings, wood engravings, scraper-board illustrations, oil paintings, delicate pencil drawings, simple tiny composition sketches and large finished watercolours – all were part of his prolific output.
He was elected RA in 1954 and awarded the OBE in 1978. In 1974, he was honoured at the Royal Academy by an exhibition of his collection of measured drawings of birds. Several of these (and other RA pictures) are included in this show.
Having had work widely published in magazines and books, including some of his own, as well as the likes of Cussons Imperial Leather advertisements, Brook Bond tea cards, The Radio Times, Ladybird books and for 12 years the covers to RSPB’s magazine Bird Notes, he is an artist whose work has impacted on countless people’s lives, earning respect too, not just in the wildlife art world, but the wider art establishment.
Sir Peter Scott described him as simply ’the greatest wildlife artist of the twentieth century’.
Artist in Residence
Ewan Anderson has had a lifetime interest in trees and drawing. During his career in geography he continued drawing particularly through cartography. Some of his research projects concerned trees. For example, in Oman he measured dewfall as a water source for Prosopis sp. trees.
Since his retirement from academe in 2001, Ewan has been working on his technique, drawing exclusively in the field (en plein air) and trying to balance the botanical and the artistic. In his drawings, Ewan hopes to encapsulate the spirit, character and gesture of the trees.
Wallsworth Art Group
Join the art group as they listen to artist Linda Twiddy, who will be sharing her experiences of art. From her technical drawings to her wildlife scenes, she will share her inspirations and skills with the group.
Linda Twiddy will be artist in residence from 6th – 11th September.
Exhibition (on show in the Atrium of our Education Centre)
A diverse show of paintings, prints and sculpture which demonstrate the inspiration that this established local group has drawn from the natural world. Founded in 1965, this is their second exhibition at Nature in Art. Part of our programme of shows supporting and highlighting regional groups and talent.
Artist in Residence
Linda Twiddy originally trained as an engineering draughtswoman and enjoys drawing as an instrument for expressing concepts and designs. She gains inspiration for her artwork from an interest in geometry, geology, architecture and the repeating patterns found in nature. Linda’s work emphasizes detail and texture, using the dramatic contrast of graphite pencil and the vibrant effects of watercolour.
During her time as artist in residence Linda will be continuing to work on a drawing inspired by the beautiful fireplaces of Wallsworth Hall. The picture combines all the fire places at Nature in Art into one composition, showing each fireplace inside another but maintaining the proportions and unique quality of each fire place.
Art Course
with Furzie (Michelle Hickman) 10am – 5pm
Maximum Participants: 10
On this 1-day course you will learn how to needle-felt with wool.
You will be introduced to the basics of needle-felting, taught how to make a wire armature to form the basis of your sculpture and how to mould the wool to the frame.
You will be amazed how the wool sculpture seems to develop a character of its own. Once you have become confident in using the basic skills and techniques you are only limited by your imagination!
Course Cost
Members: £40
Non-members: £50
Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Advanced
ART COURSE BOOKING FORM
Materials List
A materials pack will be supplied by Michelle Hickman, at the cost of £15 per participant, payable directly to her on the day. The materials pack will include a felting kit and tools to keep, plus all the wool and materials required.
Artist’s Profile
Michelle taught herself needle-felting and, for several years now, has been selling sculptures and commissions of her animals all over the world, as well as running courses and workshops.
She enjoys passing on her love of wool and needle-felting and is keen to share what she has learned.
www.furzie.co.uk
by George Stoyle Overall Winner 2016
Exhibition:
The first post-launch display of all the winning images from this renowned competition focusing on British fauna and flora. Extraordinary pictures of our rarest animals and the wildlife on our doorstep.
To find out more about the competition visit the BWPA website: here
Artist in Residence
Trevor Smith has had an interest in wildlife from an early age. Family visits to the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust at Slimbridge fostered a lifelong passion for birds and the environments they can be found in.
‘I have been teaching students the essentials of bird art for over twenty years now, but I still get a kick from seeing people thrill to the subject and often surprise themselves with hidden latent ability.’
Artist in Residence
Val Briggs is a self taught artist who for the last 30 years has dedicated herself to recording the flora and fauna of the British countryside in watercolour. Val also works in graphite and pastels, using them to sketch from life.
Art Course
with Sharon Foley 10am – 5pm
Maximum Participants: 9
Glass fusing is joining two or more layers of glass through heating in a kiln.
There are several techniques that can be adapted to this basic principle some of which give surprising results. This 1-day course will teach some of those techniques alongside glass cutting (if you are new or in need of a refresher) and consist of glass layering, use of glass frits, powders and encapsulation between layers of glass.
The course will guide you in designing and making either 4 glass coasters or a larger, flat piece of art glass. These will then be fired in a kiln and ready for collection after the course.
Course Cost
Members: £40
Non-members: £50
Course Suitability: Absolute Beginners – Beginners
ART COURSE BOOKING FORM
Materials List
All materials will be supplied by Sharon Foley, at the cost of £25 per participant, payable directly to her on the day.
Artist’s Profile
Sharon Foley began working with glass in 1999. She started making stained glass panels and quickly used lots of different processes to obtain various effects. Once she had acquired her own kiln she began experimenting with more 3-dimensional forms.
Sharon completed a Masters degree glass course at Wolverhampton University which gave her the freedom to use this transparent material in other ways. She now expresses her ideas by combining kiln formed glass with other media.
www.sharon-foley-glass.wix.com/sharonf#!