Daring to Fly - The wildlife paintings of Colin Woolf
Colin Woolf is one of Britain's best know wildlife artists, and the new book, written by his wife Jo, is a showcase of his work. However the book, containing some 250 illustrations, is also a history of Colin's painting and how it evolved from a pastime during his work at the Medical Research Council, through his early professional career working for an etching company, producing a new artwork every day, through a graphic design phase to his full time work as a wildlife artist. Throughout Colin's career he has painted a huge range of subjects, from wedding sketches of Charles and Diana to busy town high streets, but he is now known for his wildlife art, and especially his paintings of birds. And even within the feathered community, he seems to have a special feeling for owls, and barn owls in particular, where he seems to have cracked the notoriously difficult art of painting soft feathers.
Tips and advice
Watercolour painting, especially of wildlife, is a difficult art to master. Colin provides some very useful tips, gleaned from his years of learning his craft the hard way, and by trying new techniques. How to prepare the paper, brush techniques and, Colin's specialty, not painting the white bits, are all covered in the book.
250 illustrations
The main joy of the book is the 250 or so illustrations. He seems to have spent a lot of time in Scotland, or possibly on the moors around his home in North Wales, as there is a liberal sprinkling of eagles and other raptors on the moors, but, again, it is his trademark barn owls that are the standout pieces.
Where to buy the book, or get more information.
The book, 180 pages of hardback coffeee table book, is available for £45 plus £8 P & P (UK rates) from www.wildart.co.uk
Golden Eagle - © Colin Woolf
Colin Woolf - A brief biographyGrowing up in the Hampshire and Dorset countryside, and roaming freely around the New Forest, Colin Woolf developed a love of wildlife and the outdoors which has remained with him all his life. Born with a strong artistic talent, he instinctively drew and painted most of his natural history finds, but throughout his childhood the idea of becoming a professional artist was very far from his mind. After leaving school, Colin's fascination for biology and anatomy attracted him to the field of scientific research. He graduated from Nottingham University with a degree in animal physiology, and then embarked on a career with the Medical Research Council in London. Finding the narrowness of the research too restrictive, Colin left after a couple of years to work for an etching company in Hampshire, while producing book illustrations for publishers such as Reader's Digest and Dorling Kindersley in his spare time. |
Barn owl, © Colin Woolf In 1988 Colin set up his studio in Snowdonia, North Wales, and since then he has established a reputation as one of Britain's leading wildlife artists. He exhibits widely throughout the UK, and his work is admired and collected by wildlife and nature lovers the world over. Working in pure watercolour, Colin has almost re-defined the use of this medium, mastering its full potential and stretching pre-conceived boundaries to create works that are both lifelike and breathtakingly beautiful. Together, Colin and Jo have developed Colin's wildlife art into a small business which offers originals, limited edition prints and greetings cards for sale at exhibitions and by mail order. They have two teenage daughters who are pursuing their own artistic careers.
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