Ian Bullock, a valued friend and supporter of the gallery, leaves us a very rich legacy of his natural history art. Inspired by Tunnicliffe he produced wonderfully observed and detailed sketches and paintings of wildlife from all over the world.
His work took him to some of the most remote places: seabird islands of the tropics, the High Arctic and to the last great wilderness, Antarctica. Ever since he could reach above the skirting board, Ian was drawing on walls, scraps of paper, envelopes and any usable surface. Nothing made him happier than gazing at wildlife with a pencil in his hand. During his time on expedition voyages he noticed that fellow travelers were confused by the plethora of creatures in the average field guide. To simplify identification, he took to producing simple sheets with the most common creatures on one page. Latterly he was commissioned to paint detailed portraits of some of the more charismatic birds. These are now available as high quality prints. Prompted by their popularity he has also made prints of selected pages from his sketchbook, drawn in the field from life. His role as shipboard guide culminated in requests for painted expedition maps illustrating the wildlife of different destinations. These natural history charts cover regions like the British Isles, Iceland, Svalbard, Greenland and the Canadian Arctic, Patagonia, the Antarctic Peninsula, the Shackleton expedition, and the Kimberley coast of Australia. For those who travelled with Ian, he personalized these charts with itinerary, dates and locations as a brilliant memento of their adventures.
A portion of proceeds from any sales of prints will be directed by his wife Gill to one of his two favourite charities: Fauna & Flora International; and Island Conservation Society UK (representing Seychelles and related islands).
