Dorset Wildlife Trust’s (DWT’s) Kingcombe Centre in west Dorset is hosting an exhibition of art created by artists from the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) which has been inspired by the wildlife and landscapes of DWT’s Kingcombe Meadows Nature Reserve.
The nine artists exhibiting attended an artist in residence weekend in May 2017 to draw inspiration from the wildflower meadows, ancient hedgerows and woodlands to help celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Kingcombe Meadows Nature Reserve.
The art exhibition will run at the Kingcombe Centre from March 28th – April 5th. Art is available for purchase, starting from £60. Cards, postcards and sketches are also available, starting from £2.
DWT’s West Dorset Visitor Experience Officer, Steve Marsh said, “We were very pleased to welcome such a talented group of artists to Kingcombe for the residential weekend in May last year, and we’re looking forward to showing off the results of their hard work in this exhibition. A core part of DWT’s work is to help people connect to nature – whether that’s visiting a nature reserve or enjoying beautiful piece of art inspired by it. It’s free to come along, and visitors are invited to make a day of it, enjoying refreshments in the Kingcombe Tea Room and taking a stroll onto the nature reserve with a self-guided trail.”
The SWLA aims to generate an appreciation of the natural world through all forms of art.
SWLA artist, Antonia Phillips said, “The Kingcombe Centre is surrounded by over 450 acres of unimproved pasture, wildflower meadows, hedgerows and ancient woodland. It certainly provided us with plenty of inspiration! I am so pleased the project has come to fruition, not least to immerse myself in the lesser-known corners of this colourful landscape, but also to see how differently we [the artists] work but all with the same plan.”
Artists exhibiting include Carry Akroyd, Bob Greenhalf, Simon Griffiths, Richard Jarvis, Harriet Mead, Nik Pollard, Gregg Poole, Matt Underwood and Antonia Phillips. Art mediums include watercolour, print and sculpture.
Find out more about SWLA: www.swla.co.uk. For directions to the Kingcombe Centre and to find out about accommodation, including B&B and our Living Van, visit www.kingcombe.org.