Derek Robertson (artist)

Derek Robertson RSW SSA SAA AAS (born 1967) is a Scottish artist. One of the signature members of the Society of Animal Artists, he is known for his paintings of wildlife and landscapes,[1] and for his poetic narrative work[2] consisting of paintings, constructions and installations. He is currently on the Council of the RSW and has written and presented 5 television programs[3] about his work and the wildlife he portrays and has written 5 books about his art: The Mugdrum,[4] Highland Sketchbook,[5] A Studio Under The Sky,[6] Otters, An Artist's Sketchbook and Puffins: An Artist's Sketchbook. His work has also illustrated many other publications.[7]

Life and work

Derek Robertson was born near St Andrews, Fife, Scotland . While at school he attended weekend art classes by James Mcintosh Patrick before completing a BA (hons) in drawing and painting at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee.[8] On graduating in 1989[9] he was commissioned by HarperCollins to write and illustrate his first book, "Highland Sketchbook" which was nominated for the McVities Prize.[10] He was then commissioned by Grampian Television to present a program about his work for the series "Portrait of The Wild".[11] He went on to write and present a series of four, half-hour programs for Grampian TV/STV entitled "Drawn From Wild Places".[12] He has won several awards, including the RSW Small Painting Prize, Glasgow Art Club Fellowship[13] and John Gray Award.[14] He has illustrated many publications, most notably "Song of The Rolling Earth" and "Nature's Child" by the nature writer Sir John Lister-Kaye. He exhibits mainly in the UK, but also overseas and his work is held in public and private collections internationally.[15] His wildlife work is noted for his use of outdoor sketching from life[16] and for often using the unusual technique of watercolour on linen.[17] He has served on the selection and hanging committees for a number of the exhibiting societies in Scotland and on the council of the Aberdeen Artists Society.[18] He has worked on collaborative projects with the poets Valerie Gillies[19] and Rody Gorman.[20]

Wildlife research

Derek Robertson is an amateur wildlife researcher. He is a licensed bird ringer and has assisted many research projects which have resulted in co-authored publications including a collaborative research project on farmland finches with the BTO.[21] His own studies have also been published in scientific papers[22] and he has illustrated and edited a number of papers and publications including the Fife Bird Atlas.[23] He has accompanied research expeditions to Africa and Scandinavia and to seabird islands such as St Kilda, the Shiant Isles and Handa Island which have all featured in his paintings.[24] He has served on many research and conservation committees including the Isle of May Bird Observatory,[25] the Tay Ringing Group, and the BTO council and ringing committee.

References

  1. ↑ "Robertson.html". Artist-registry.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  2. ↑ "Article : DEREK ROBERTSON EXHIBITION - St Fergus Gallery, Wick". Arts.Caithness.Org. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  3. ↑ "Around Scotland", The Scots Magazine Dundee. p624, June 1995
  4. ↑ Cyril Gerber, In conversation with Peter Hill. Alba Magazine Edinburgh ,Summer 1999 p48
  5. ↑ Wild in de Natuur,exhibition catalogue t' Kunsthuis van het Oosten, Enschede, Nederlands, 2009 p31
  6. ↑ New Books, Scots Magazine,Edinburgh, February 2001, p143
  7. ↑ Art and Observation, Scottish Bird News, Aberlady, p4 No 88 june 2008
  8. ↑ Birds in Art exhibition catalogue 'Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wasau, Wisconsin USA 2001 p101
  9. ↑ "Biography of Derek ROBERTSON | Anthony Woodd Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland". Anthonywoodd.com. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  10. ↑ Alan macLeod, Painting Paradise, Kingdom Magazine, Dalgety Bay, Fife, Issue 8 spring 2005, p30-31.
  11. ↑ Deirdre Gillespie, Drawn from Wild Places, Scottish Field Edinburgh, June 1995 pp. 14-17
  12. ↑ Drawn From Wild Places, Preview, Kelvingrove Museums, Glasgow, July–September 1995 p6
  13. ↑ "Fife artists honoured by Society of Painters in Watercolour". The Courier. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  14. ↑ "Artists' stroke of genius! - Local Headlines". Fife Today. 2012-02-20. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  15. ↑ "Derek Robertson, British wildlife illustrations, birds artist, wildlife illustrations, natural history drawings, wildlife art". Wildlife Art Company. Retrieved 2012-02-28.
  16. ↑ A Walk on The Wild Side, Artists and Illustrators Magazine,London, October 1999 pp. 42-43
  17. ↑ Painting with Gouache on Linen, Artists and Illustrators Magazine,London, January 2001 pp. 24-24
  18. ↑ AAS Annual Exhibition Catalogue, Issue 74, 2008, Aberdeen
  19. ↑ Valerie Gillies, The Chanter's Tune, Canongate, Edinburgh pp. 15-19
  20. ↑ Ruairidh agus Ruairidh eile, STanza Scottish International Poetry Festival Programme 2012, St Andrews, cover and p. 12
  21. ↑ Calladine et al. BTO News Issue 247 July–August 2003, pp. 10-11
  22. ↑ http://tayringinggroup.org/articles.htm
  23. ↑ http://www.the-soc.org.uk/fife-bird-atlas.htm
  24. ↑ Neil Glenn, Scotland's Migrant Magnet, Birds Illustrated, Vol. 5 Issue 4. Summer 2008, Peterborough, pp. 45-49.
  25. ↑ Ringing Report, Isle of May Annual Report, 1999

Further reading

External links

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