Richard Thewlis - Wildlife Artist

Profile

I’ve been drawing birds and fascinated by natural history since I was very young, and started being seriously interested in birds in my early teens. It was then that I realised that only by trying to draw birds from life could I begin to capture an accurate likeness. I have no formal art training and much of what I do has been achieved through persistence, and by trial and error. I went through a long period  trying to capture the precise patterns and shapes of birds in fine pencil, compelled to want to capture the perfect image in the field. This has helped with the essential structure and movement of birds. More recently, however, I've been painting in the field which has often resulted in a much looser image, but still retains the character of the subject in question.  It’s been good to bring colour to the field sketches, but it has brought a new challenge of trying to keep the lines accurate.  Although birds are my main focus I’m also interested in other aspects of the natural world and enjoy portraying landscapes as well as mammals and insects (mainly moths).

I currently work for the British Trust for Ornithology in Norfolk, UK on a range of different projects researching birds and monitoring their populations. Although I work in a science environment, I have maintained my passion for art.  I have had many pieces of artwork published, mainly in annual local bird reports, the UK Mammals Atlas and more recently the Essential Guide to the Birds of the Isles of Scilly. 
Over the years I have amassed a large collection of sketchbooks as well as finished work. Here I present a  selection of this material - I hope you enjoy browsing it.