| Early Years | Chris Rose was born in Uganda in 1959 where he lived until the age of six. He was educated in Surrey and took a degree in biology at Nottingham University. On graduating in 1981, and initially unable to find work as a biologist, he was offered a post as illustrator for the Dorset Heritage Coast project for one year. Drawing and painting birds and other wildlife had been a paid hobby since the age of eleven or twelve, but a career in art had been thought too insecure to be considered seriously. However, the year with Dorset Heritage Coast Project, during which Chris learnt much about illustration and design, convinced him that this was the career for him. |
| Formative Experiences | In1983 he spent three months back-packing through India and Nepal, bird watching and sketching, and the studio pictures which resulted from this trip were accepted for the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London, the following year. On the strength of these paintings he was elected to membership of the SWLA |
| Awards | In 1986 he won the “British Birds” Bird Illustrator of the Year Award and in 1991 won the European Bird Artist of the Year. |
| Exhibitions | He has exhibited widely in the UK and has had work shown in Paris, Singapore and Japan. He has three one-man exhibitions at the Wildlife Art Gallery, Lavenham, Suffolk, and shows annually with the SWLA. I 1992 and 93 he had paintings selected for North America’s most prestigious annual Bird and Wildlife Art exhibitions at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wisconsin. |
| International Projects | In 1992 and 94 he was invited by the Artists for Nature Foundation to join an international group of artists visiting the Bierbze marshlands of Poland and the Extremadura area of Spain to draw and paint wildlife, with the aim of highlighting the beauty and fragility of these areas and to promote their conservation. In 1993 he spent three months in Malaysia working on a new bird book for the region. |
| Artist’s Statement
|
“My desire to paint wildlife, particularly birds, stems from a deep fascination and respect for the natural world and a wish to share my excitement for the subject through my paintings. I am inspired by the light, colours, textures and patterns which are found in nature, even in the most ordinary and often overlooked corners of the landscape.” |
Chris
Rose - Curriculum Vitae
Born: 1959 Uganda
Educated: Nottingham University – B.Sc (Hons) Biology
Exhibitions: Society of Wildlife Artists annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries, London, (and SWLA member) since 1984.
The Wildlife Art Gallery, Nov 1990 and Dec 1991.
“Birds in Art 1992” at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wisconsin, USA 1993.
“Wildlife – The Artists’ View” at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum 1993.
The Wildlife Art Gallery: one-man show to mark the opening of their new gallery, July 1994.
Galerie Art et
Vie Sauvage, Paris,
April 1996.
Christies ”Wildlife Art Auction”, London, May 1996.
Bonhams “Art of the Living World” auction, Singapore, April 1997
The Wildlife Art Gallery: one-man show, Nov 1998
Exhibitor at many other provincial galleries and exhibitions.
Awards: “Bird Illustrator of the Year” (British Birds Journal). 1986
Runner-up “Natural World Art Award” (RSNC Natural World Magazine). 1989.
“European Bird Artist of the Year” (Swarovski, Birdwatching Magazine and The Wildlife Art Gallery), 1992
Commissions: Birdlife International: On-going series of paintings for the “Rare Bird Club”.
SWLA and Lloyds Bank calendars:1991-93.
Publications: Swallows and Martins of the World, C.Helm Publ. 1989,(voted Best Bird Book of the Year 1990 by British Birds Journal).
Birdlife of Mountain and Upland, Cambridge University Press (CUP), 1990.
Birdlife of Coasts and Estuaries, CUP, 1992.
Birdlife of Woodlands, CUP, 1994.
The Raven, T&AD Poyser, 1997.
Birdlife of Freshwater Wetlands, CUP, (in press).
Grebes of the World, Bruce Coleman, (in press).
Other
publications in which artwork appears include:
The complete Book of British Birds, RSPB/AA Publications, 1988
The Birds of Britain and Europe, AA Publications, 1988.
Handbook to the Birds of the Western Palearctic, Vols. V, VII & VIII, Oxford University Press.
Handbook of the Birds of the
World, Lynx Edicions, Vols. III, IV & V.
Current Projects: Robins and Chats of the World, A&C Black.
Bibliography: “Brushstrokes: Chris Rose” – Birdwatching magazine, Nov. 1989.
“Artists’ Showcase” – Birdwatching magazine, Oct. 1990.
“Hang a Painting and Save a Species” – Birds Illustrated, Winter 1992.
“A Bird’s-Eye View of Art” – Scottish Field, Sept 1998.
“Take Two” – Birdwatching Magazine, Dec. 1998.
“Eagle-Eyed” – University of Nottingham Magazine, Issue 9.