The Society of Wildlife Artists

The peregrine falcon is an impressive bird. Beautifully marked, a master of flight and a superbly skilled hunter it’s not surprising that it has proved a rich source of inspiration for artists at this year’s exhibition.

Last year Esther Tyson spent several weeks observing and sketching a breeding pair of peregrines at a quarry local to her home in Derbyshire. All eight of her pieces in the exhibition are the result of those long hours getting to know the birds and watching them successfully rear their chicks. The loose brushstrokes perfectly capture the presence of these birds and the warm colours of the sandstone and the slate greys of the adult birds contrasts beautifully with the creamy down of the young chicks.

Kittie Jones was another artist lucky enough to find a peregrine close to her home Peregrines are well known for their habit of adapting to city life, using buildings for nest sites instead of cliffs and taking city pigeons for food. This pair in Edinburgh had a more natural nest site on a rocky crag in one of Edinburgh’s parks but their habitat was very much more city centric than the family that Esther observed. 

Sculptor Nick Bibby has created two bronze sculptures of a peregrine in flight for the show. These dynamic pieces very nearly didn’t make it to the exhibition due to delays at the foundry and other issues stemming from the pandemic but luckily everything fell into place. 

Like Kittie Jones, non member Jan Wilczur has been inspired by seeing these amazing birds in a city setting creating a painting juxtaposing the bird with the details of the masonry. Another non member Stefan Boensch, and members Peter Partington and Federico Gemma have observed their falcons in more natural surroundings.

Finally, like Esther Tyson, printmaker John Hatton has been inspired by a peregrine using a quarry as its home.

The exhibition runs from 28 October to 8 November 2020. To book tickets or view over 350 works on show online see here.