Last September saw the death of Nature in Art’s founder, David Trapnell, aged 95. His interest in art and nature was obvious as a boy and, even though he spent his working life as an eminent radiologist, it seemed inevitable that those early influences would emerge in a profound way at some point in his life. Being married to the artist Elizabeth Gray (also known as Ben Venuto), who died in 2022, was the inspiration he needed to embark on what he called ‘his second wind’ – an enthusiastic passion for discovery and learning in the arts that resulted in the establishment of Nature in Art.
David was always a collector. He said that his first collection as a boy was ‘stickers off bananas’(!), but in later life his collecting interests included fossils and stones (which he also polished) to buttons and bottles, clay pipes to bird skulls, postmarks (for which he was an acknowledged expert and published many books and papers) and eighteenth century newspapers to orchids. Even though, for a long time, he was not involved at the coal face at Nature in Art, he was a trustee until his death and was always cheering and encouraging from the sidelines and looking for new additions that might be considered for the collection.
Just a few months before he died, he saw an intriguing door finger plate (made by Spode) with a nature inspired decoration. He wondered whether there were any collections of these items anywhere and set about contacting national and local museums to find out. It seemed not. There also appeared to be no books on the subject either, so he began collecting as many nature inspired finger plates as he could, trawling the internet and finding people to drive him to antique fairs and the like. At the same time he began to undertake research for a paper or booklet on the subject. Sadly, he never got the chance to see that project to its conclusion, but the small selection of finger plates that he did acquire will soon be part of our collection. Some will be included in this display.
Most Friends of Nature in Art will know that the idea of Nature in Art was born in 1982 at a time when David had no money, no collection and no building – just what he hoped was an inspiring idea. He set up a charity to establish and then own and manage a museum. Soon he was winning over hearts and minds, and he did the difficult thing – he got the Nature in Art ball rolling from nothing, so effectively in fact, that within 6 years we had got to the point of opening our doors to the public, following the purchase of Wallsworth Hall in 1987. Then, in 1988, after a huge amount of work, HRH Princess Alexandra opened the museum, which was free of debt and had the beginnings of an unrivalled collection.
Many of the items had been generously donated by artists and private collectors, but David, a treasure hunter at heart, also spent a huge amount of time searching out items that might be added to the collection (and for which funding had to be found too).
That instinct to always be ‘on the hunt’ and looking in new places, stretching our outlook from, for example ‘wildlife’ to ‘nature’, and from just fine art to embrace decorative and applied art too, opened up huge possibilities. That broad view underpins our mission to this day.
So, this exhibition will highlight some of the items that David personally found for the Nature in Art collection, some of which we secured funding for from the likes of the Art Fund, V&A Purchase Grant Fund and others. Of course, there were other occasions when items were found and we could not secure funding or, if they were in an auction, exceeded our budget, but treasure hunting always involves disappointments too!
The stories behind some of the exhibits are recalled in David’s book, ‘Following the Dream’, published last year, priced £14.95.
In addition to some of the items he chose to include in his book, will be other items that have helped broaden the depth and diversity of our collection. As we hope is the case when any visitor comes to Nature in Art, we trust that you find amongst this selection work that you expect to see, but also others that may be unfamiliar, broadening your appreciation and passion for the arts.
An evening talk has been arranged to accompany this exhibition
© Ryan Stalker
The British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA) is a revered showcase of nature photography in Britain and a crucial reminder of what value our woodlands, wetlands and other ecosystems still hold.
The winners of the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024 will be displayed at Nature in Art from 23rd July – 1st September. More than 14,000 images were submitted into this year’s competition, with amateur and professional photographers competing for the £5,000 grand prize. An image of a football covered in invasive goose barnacles, having travelled thousands of miles to reach the UK shores, has taken the top prize in this prestigious award.
Photographers competed in 10 different categories in the adult competition: Animal Behaviours, Animal Portraits, Botanical Britain, Black & White, British Seasons, Coast & Marine, Habitat, Hidden Britain, Urban Wildlife and Wild Woods. There were 3 age groups in the young competition: 11 and under, 12-14 years and 15-17 years.
Entry to this exhibition is included in the admission price to the museum.
© Max Wood
© Lucien Harris
As part of our programme of displays in the Atrium of the Wallsworth Centre, supporting and highlighting local creative endeavour, we are delighted to be welcoming The Fosseway Artists, a group of Cotswold based practitioners who were founded in 1965. The show features some of the latest work by their professional and semi-professional members. The exhibits explore the theme of nature in art. From bold collage using natural found elements to delicate watercolours and everything in between, there will be a range of styles and media on show. Some of the exhibits will be for sale.
The subjects of landscape, architecture and our industrial heritage have inspired Grahame Tucker’s work in printmaking, watercolours and more recently sculpture.
Grahame has supported our education programme and this exhibition of large prints reflects the exploration of a wide range of techniques over a period of twenty years. The use of line, cross hatching and tonal areas produced by aquatinting are extensively used to create a range of visual effects. This has given rise to him producing a series of prints reflecting his love of shape,form and texture which is equally inherent in his sculpture and paintings. This collection of etchings and aquatints shows the use of single and multiple plates to produce a range of original and individual monochrome and colour prints as limited editions. Meet Grahame when he is artist in residence, and see his sculpture, August 20th – 25th.
This exhibition is part of our programme of initiatives to encourage and support local creative endeavour. On show in the Atrium of our Wallsworth Centre, it features work by members of the Gloucestershire Society of Artists. They held their first exhibition in Gloucester Museum in 1924, so this is a milestone year! See representational and abstract works in various media and watch GSA members at work. Most items are for sale.
Left: Philippa Beale. Right: Tim Craven
Following on from previous exhibitions by the Arborealists at Nature in Art, this exhibition is a collaboration between them, a group of professional artists of diverse art practise who share the subject of the tree,and Julian Hight, a celebrated authority on ancient trees and the author of Britain’s Tree Story.
This unique selection of pictures explores the extraordinary physical presence and diverse colourful histories of a varied selection of these great survivors. Some have been selected by Hight for their significance, species and geological spread and others chosen by the artists as local favourites. Some trees are variously interpreted by different artistic approaches,styles and media and these will hang together for context and insight.
Although the least forested, Britain possesses the largest number of ancient trees in northern Europe of many species for a number of reasons. Some may have stood for over a thousand years while some British Yew trees are reputed to be up to four times that age, which if true, makes them the oldest living trees in Europe. Small wonder that artists have been inspired by their beauty, presence and aura.
From a human perspective, it is their constant presence within the community,surviving through one generation to the next and carrying with them events and stories, that elevates ancient trees to a higher place in our psyche. Over the centuries people have revered and named them. They act as silent witnesses to the past. Indeed, it is amazing to think that such is their longevity that some could be only ten generations away from the end of the last ice age when they first colonised our islands.
PLUS:
September 10th: Do join us for a private view of this show to meet some of the artists and find out about the Arborealists and on September 26th: An join us for an evening talk with Julian Hight. Find details of both HERE
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Elizabeth Gray (left) and Dafila Scott
It is hard to believe that we recently celebrated the 36th anniversary of us opening our doors to the public. Over the years we have been fortunate to work with many hundreds of artists, either as exhibitors, artists in residence and/or tutors. These associations have been part of our journey developing and building up the museum, its collections and activities, and we hope a valued part of their artistic journey too.
So as we look to the future, we are presenting a unique exhibition of A5 sized original works by some of these artists. Drawings, paintings, prints, even sculpture, each a nature-inspired to raise funds for our David Trapnell Legacy Project.
The fundraising element works like this ….each card will be allocated a number although this will be kept secret. Numbered tickets will be available for you to buy for just £30 each, a sum which we hope will make participation within reach of almost everyone. Once all the tickets are sold the numbers will be revealed. Only then will‘buyers’ discover which original postcard they have acquired.
So, we do hope that you will be keen to purchase a ticket for this special project! As well as a great way to help the museum, it is a rare opportunity for you to acquire a unique original signed piece of artwork.
Buy a ticket when you visit, or if you can’t make it, give us a call on 01452 731422.
This is one of a series of shows highlighting the work of art societies. This exhibition, on show in the Atrium of our Wallsworth Centre, features work by The Wildlife Art Society International’s award winners from their 2024 Annual exhibition. See some of the award winners here. 2D and 3D exhibits in a variety of styles and media. Most works are for sale. There may be restricted access on 5th October. Meet members at work each day.
Blending geology with creativity, Jackie Garner’s contemporary art is thoroughly modern, yet echoes Earth’s most ancient forces. Her acrylic paintings are inspired by, and celebrate, the rich patterns and textures of minerals, rocks and fossils. Wildly colourful to subtly intricate, sometimes fanciful and often surprising, this exhibition encourages us to look afresh at the ground beneath our feet. Rethink your perceptions of the humble rock! Instead, revel in shards of texture, light and colour.
One of the very first showings of the winning and commended images from the very latest awards following its launch. 70 stunning photographs from around the world selected from over 23,000 entries, including ..