Society of Wildlife Artists

The Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) is a British organisation and registered charity for artists whose work focuses on wildlife. Established in 1964, it was created to provide a professional and cultural forum for artists working from the natural world, including painters and draughtspeople concerned with animals, birds, plants, habitats and related subjects. The society is associated with the British tradition of observational wildlife art, in which artistic practice is closely connected with field observation, natural-history knowledge and the depiction of living subjects in their environments. The SWLA was founded by artists Eric Ennion and Robert Gillmor. Its other founder members included Donald Watson, James T. A. Osborne and Eileen Soper. Sir Peter Scott, the naturalist, conservationist and artist, served as the organisation's founding president. The involvement of these figures established a link between wildlife art, natural-history illustration and conservation-minded public culture. The society's work is therefore broader than the promotion of individual artworks: it represents a specialist artistic community and helps maintain the visibility of wildlife as a subject within the British art world. The organisation's principal public activity is its annual exhibition. The exhibition is held each year in September or October at the Mall Galleries in London, the exhibition venue associated with the Federation of British Artists. This event provides a platform for members and participating artists to present original paintings, drawings and related wildlife-focused work to the public. It also places the society within London's established network of artist societies and provides a recurring point of contact between specialist artists, collectors, natural-history audiences and the wider public. The SWLA operates as a charitable organisation in England and Wales, registered under charity number 328717. Its institutional identity is consequently based on membership, artistic representation, public exhibition and the support of wildlife art rather than on the sale of a conventional consumer product. Its main offerings are its artist community, public-facing exhibition programme and the cultural profile it gives to wildlife art. The society's operating focus is the United Kingdom, although its subject matter and artistic network have relevance to international wildlife-art audiences. The society remains associated with the continuity of British wildlife-art practice. Its historical importance rests on the combination of specialist artistic expertise, natural-history subject matter and regular public presentation. Harriet Mead is identified as the current president, while the organisation's annual exhibition and charitable status remain central markers of its role. Detailed information about membership numbers, staffing, finances, regional offices and commercial operations is not established by the supplied reference material.

The Society of Wildlife Artists was founded in Britain in 1964 by Eric Ennion and Robert Gillmor. Its creation reflected the established role of wildlife and natural-history subjects in British illustration and fine art, while giving artists working in that field a dedicated professional organisation. The founding group also included Donald Watson, James T. A. Osborne and Eileen Soper. Sir Peter Scott, a prominent artist, naturalist and conservationist, became the society's founding president. From its beginning, the SWLA brought together artistic practice and close observation of the natural world. Its members' subject matter is wildlife, but the society's remit is expressed through art rather than through a commercial wildlife-products business. Painting and drawing are its central media, and the organisation's identity is connected with the British tradition of depicting animals, birds and natural environments with both aesthetic and natural-history attention. A major part of the society's public role is its annual exhibition. Held in September or October at the Mall Galleries in London, the exhibition places the work of wildlife artists before the public within a recognised Federation of British Artists venue. The recurring exhibition format gives the organisation continuity and provides a regular setting in which members and associated artists can show original work. It also connects the specialist field of wildlife art with collectors, art audiences, naturalists and people interested in conservation and the natural environment. The society is a registered charity in England and Wales, charity number 328717. This status distinguishes it from a conventional commercial art brand and underlines its role as a membership and cultural organisation. Its activities are centred on representing and presenting wildlife artists, sustaining a specialist artistic tradition and making wildlife-focused art publicly visible. The supplied reference material does not provide a detailed chronology of later institutional developments, membership figures, financial information, staff structure or changes in exhibition policy. It does identify Harriet Mead as the current president, indicating continuing organisational activity. The annual Mall Galleries exhibition remains the clearest public expression of the SWLA's work, while its founding history continues to link the society with major figures in British wildlife art and natural history.

• 1964

  Society established

  [1]Society of Wildlife Artistsen.wikipedia.org

  Eric Ennion and Robert Gillmor founded the Society of Wildlife Artists in Britain. Donald Watson, James T. A. Osborne and Eileen Soper were among the other founder members.

• 1964

  Sir Peter Scott becomes founding president

  [1]Society of Wildlife Artistsen.wikipedia.org

  Sir Peter Scott served as the society's founding president, reinforcing its links with wildlife art, natural history and conservation.

• Annual Mall Galleries exhibition established as a recurring public activity

  [1]Society of Wildlife Artistsen.wikipedia.org

  The society holds an annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries in London during September or October.

A specialist British artists' society representing wildlife painters and draughtspeople, positioned at the intersection of fine art, natural-history observation and conservation-oriented cultural practice.

• Fine art

  Wildlife paintings

  Paintings depicting animals, birds and other aspects of the natural world form a central part of the artistic practice represented by the society. The work is presented as wildlife art rather than as a standard consumer product line, and is made visible through the society's exhibitions and artist community.

• Fine art and natural-history art

  Wildlife drawings

  Drawing is one of the principal media associated with the SWLA. Members and participating artists use drawing to record and interpret wildlife and habitats, reflecting the society's connection to observational practice and natural-history illustration.

• Art exhibition

  Annual exhibition

  The society's annual exhibition is held at the Mall Galleries in London in September or October. It is the organisation's principal identified public offering, presenting wildlife-focused artwork and giving the specialist field a recurring exhibition platform.

• Annual Society of Wildlife Artists exhibition

  United Kingdom · London

  A recurring exhibition programme presents wildlife paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries during September or October each year.

  Outcome. The exhibition provides an ongoing public platform for wildlife artists and maintains the society's visibility within the British art and natural-history communities.

  Source

1. 1Society of Wildlife Artistsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Society of Wildlife Artists official websiteswla.co.uk