- Arborealist -
Contemporary landscape painter, specialising in woodland and trees,
using watercolour, oil and drawing media
Contemporary landscape painter, specialising in woodland and trees,
using watercolour, oil and drawing media
A landscape painter specialising in trees and woodland, Richard seeks to capture the character and atmosphere of particular places in all weathers and seasons. As resident artist with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, Richard is currently working on a 3-year project, ‘Treescapes of Herefordshire’, on their flagship reserves at Birches Farm, Bodenham Lake and North Wood (part of Queenswood). Richard is also an invited member of the Arborealists, a national/European group of artists united around the theme of trees.
Richard’s work is based on site specific studies and where possible he visits his subjects across the year to get to know their moods in different weathers and seasons. On location Richard makes drawings and watercolours along with notes, photographs and sound recordings, but being in a place over many hours is equally important. Back in his studio these records and memories are distilled slowly into watercolour and oil paintings.
‘My mother instilled in me a life long fascination with trees and their ever changing form and colour, vulnerability and strength. Drawing and painting deepens one’s appreciation of their individual character and presence, and part of the joy of working outdoors is the frequent encounters with wildlife. Bird song, lapping water and the crackle of frost seem impossible to paint, but are central to my experiences and I love the challenge of weaving them into my work.’
For Land into Art, Richard showed paintings from Birches Farm (Kington), Bodenham Lake and North Wood made during his residency with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust (slideshow above).
‘My mother instilled in me a life long fascination with trees and their ever changing form and colour, vulnerability and strength. Drawing and painting deepens one’s appreciation of their individual character and presence, and part of the joy of working outdoors is the frequent encounters with wildlife. Bird song, lapping water and the crackle of frost seem impossible to paint, but are central to my experiences and I love the challenge of weaving them into my work.’
For Land into Art, Richard showed paintings from Birches Farm (Kington), Bodenham Lake and North Wood made during his residency with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust (slideshow above).
November Golds - Bodenham Lake. Original Watercolour, SOLD
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Richard's current residency with Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, Treescapes of Herefordshire, runs for 3 years to 2021 on the following flagship reserves:
Birches Farm - veteran trees in species-rich grassland Bodenham Lake - part of Lugg Valley Living Landscape Queenswood Country Park - focusing on North Wood |
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Richard is one of the Arborealists, a team of artists who are actively involved in promoting woodland ecology. Their recent and ongoing work at Lady Park Wood is beautifully presented in the new book, Art Meets Ecology.
This book is about Lady Park Wood above the Wye gorge in Monmouthshire. Uniquely, the wood has been sealed off and left unmanaged for 75 years as a scientific study, the fortunes of hundreds of individual trees tracked and recorded by woodland ecologists. George Peterken, who has led the research since the 1980s, invited The Arborealists to draw and paint in this special place in spring and autumn 2017. |
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The Arborealists with the Wye Valley AONB team
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Lavishly illustrated, the artworks are matched with a commentary by George which shows how both artists and ecologists observe trees and woods closely, and yet express their understanding in very different language.
The book was funded by a Sustainable Development Grant from the Wye Valley AONB and crowd funding for which we are very grateful.(1) To find out more about the Arborealists' work, watch the video, 'Arborealists in Lady Park Wood', by clicking the image below |
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While we are closed, we have returned Richard's original pieces to him; visit his website to see more of his work.
We look forward to welcoming you later in the season: when we reopen we hope to have some springtime scenes from Richard. Instagram - @richardtreeart YouTube - Arborealists in Lady Park Wood |
Orchid at Birches Farm - Original watercolour and ink, £420
Framed dimensions 48x58cm
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(1) source: https://www.richardbavin.com/photo_16749341.html
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