‘Nature in Art lifts the spirits’     National Heritage Museum of the Year Awards judges report

© Nature in Art           Registered Charity No. 1000553            01452 731422            An Accredited Museum with MLA

 

January 17th - March 18th

Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year

 

The world renowned Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year showcases the best images of wildlife and the natural environment - this year, a distillation from nearly 41,000 pictures taken by photographers from 95 countries. Nature in Art is again proud to be one of the very first out-of-London venues to show the very latest competition fresh from its launch at the Natural History Museum in London. The co-owners are two UK institutions that pride themselves on championing the diversity of life: the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine. The competition has its origins back in the 1965 (when conservation wasn't a public issue), transforming into its current form in the early 1980’s. Since then, most of the great names in wildlife photography have competed in the competition at some point in their careers, and winning a place continues to be an aspiration for wildlife photographers worldwide. Taking a winning picture requires a mixture of vision, aesthetics, technical competence, knowledge of nature - and luck. That said, luck has to be planned for - to know where an animal might be, what it might be doing, when the light might be just right. But to make the most of such serendipity requires being able to see the magic of a moment. The judges look for pictures with outstanding creativity, originality and photographic excellence, taking them beyond mere representations of nature. The skills sometimes more associated with a painter composition, tone and the like are also important in a winning image but, in this competition, digital manipulation of the content is not allowed. This year the overall winner was Daniel Beltra from Spain with a powerful image depicting a group of pelicans undergoing the first stage of removing crude oil which had smothered them in the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Mark Carwardine, chairman of the judging panel, described the shot as ‘a strong environmental statement, technical perfection and a work of art all rolled into one. The sheer simplicity of this powerful image makes it really beautiful and shocking at the same time.’

 

January 31st - February 12th

Wallsworth Art Group   (on display in the Wallsworth Centre)

A selling display of work by members of The Wallsworth Art Group which meets twice a month to enjoy a programme  of evening demonstrations, films, talks, practical art workshops and other events. There is no selection procedure to join the group. Some members are very new to art and others have enjoyed art practice for many years. The group aims to be all-inclusive and to provide a stimulating, non-judgemental and  encouraging environment where people can learn about and explore different aspects of art and art techniques. Some of the exhibits have been inspired by activities undertaken during the past year.

 

February 14th - March 4th

Drawn to the Levels   (on display in the Wallsworth Centre)

A selling display of work by by Peter Partington, Brin Edwards, Richard Allen, Daniel Cole, John Davies and Robert Greenhalf completed last spring on the Somerset Levels. Meet the artists during the first week and come a special evening with a talk by Peter Partington and Brin Edwards on February 15th. Nowhere in England is Spring more lush than on the wetlands of the Somerset Levels.  This vast area of meadows, coppice and reedbeds supports a huge and diverse natural habitat. The whole area forms the largest lowland grazing marsh in Britain and is of outstanding  environmental interest. A landscape of soft greens, ochres and blue cerulean skies with ever present surrounding hills of soft cobalt often dominated by the jutting wedge of Glastonbury Tor and its chapel tower. The meadows that surround it are awash with herbage, buttercups, stitchwort and campion - a magnet to the landscape and wildlife artist.

 

This exhibition gives a glimpse of the Levels through the eyes of an informal group of six friendsall professional artists all engaged in a fierce interest in the natural world. Together, Richard Allen, Daniel Cole, John Davis, Brin Edwards, Robert Greenhalf and Peter Partington, decided that the Levels provided an ideal opportunity to explore a rich wetland environment.  With its bouncy peat underfoot and rippling reflections on the waterways amongst the phragmites they worked to express in pencil and paint their enthusiasm for its                   vistas of skies and reed and its wealth of bird and animal life. For a week they struck out in various directions. Sometimes to watch the numbers of hobbies passing through on passage; others to observe the  resident bitterns or the arrival  of parties of Garganey.

 

Painting and sketching on the spot typifies the approach of this group of artists; sometimes doing a bit back at base; usually a local cottage. Sometimes studio work emerges later into larger more considered canvases. Collectively all the work conveys their excitement for Spring on the Levels.

 

 

 

To complement our ever-changing displays of work from our own collection, we hold a diverse range of special exhibitions throughout the year.

 

Click here for the 2011 programme of exhibitions

Click here for our main 2012 programme

Touring Exhibitions

We have  exhibitions for hire by other institutions.

Click here

Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year co-owned by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine and sponsored by Veolia Environnement.

 

Cyril Ruoso (France)  Tiny Warm-up

 

Stephane Vetter (France)

Heavenly Light Show