West Sussex artist masterminds wildlife exhibition

Artists from across Britain are coming together to raise funds for British wildlife in an exhibition organised by Copsale artist Heather Irvine.
H Irvine - Memories, Burning Gold MemoriesH Irvine - Memories, Burning Gold Memories
H Irvine - Memories, Burning Gold Memories

British Wildlife by British Artists features 27 artists raising funds for Cornwall, Scottish, Sussex and Yorkshire Wildlife Trusts.

Artwork including painting, sculpture, woodwork, felt work, jewellery and printmaking, goes on sale at 12 noon on April 16. You can view the exhibition at www.artistsforpainteddogs.com. It finishes on Sunday, May 9.

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The exhibition will celebrate the diverse flora, fauna and landscapes of the beauty of the British Isles.

Artists are donating up to 50 per cent of the proceeds from the sale of their artwork to the trusts.

The exhibition is the second organised by Artists for Painted Dogs and Other Wildlife, whose inaugural Global Art Fundraiser last year raised more than £40,000 for Painted Dog Conservation in Zimbabwe and Wildlife ACT in South Africa, doing vital work to save the endangered African Painted Dog (five per cent of funds raised from the British Exhibition will go to Wildlife ACT to continue to support their projects).

Heather said: “With more than half of the UK’s species in decline, the work of The Wildlife Trusts has never been so important. Around 88,000 different species of animals, plants and fungi are known to share the UK with its human population. A combination of climate, geology and land-use history makes the UK’s landscape a surprisingly diverse place, even if today its wildlife is a shadow of its former self and many natural habitats are under pressure.

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“The Wildlife Trusts look after more than 2,300 nature reserves, covering 98,500 hectares, and, when possible, operate more than 100 visitor and education centres in every part of the UK, on Alderney and the Isle of Man.

“Saving the UK’s wildlife and wild places and helping them to recover from past losses and damage has been a central aim of The Wildlife Trusts throughout their history. And helping people to get closer to nature, which has never been more welcome than over the past year.”

Heather, artist and curator, Artists for Painted Dogs, added: “Art is such a powerful tool to spread awareness and wonderment at the natural world. Touching people both visually and emotionally, it is something which when embraced, can be incredibly transforming.”

The exhibition includes Stephen Rew (David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) Wildlife Artist of the Year, 2019), Hazel Mountford (finalist twice at DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year and the winner of the prestigious BBC Wildlife Artist of the Year-British Mammals), Jo Maynard (finalist at DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year for six years in a row), John Threlfall (winner of the Swarovski/Birdwatch Bird Artist of the Year Award, 2007), Julie Brunn, Kittie Jones and Lisa Hooper .

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“As well as raising awareness of the work of the wildlife trusts, the aim is to raise much-needed funds, especially with the additional challenges brought by Covid-19, to support these incredible organisations.”

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