Society of Wildlife Artists | Events Programme 2025

The Society of Wildlife Artists presents a series of special events to accompany its 62nd annual exhibition, The Natural Eye 2025:

Thursday 16 October, 11am

President of the SWLA, Harriet Mead, and other senior members of the Society will be on hand to review portfolios.

Artists are invited to bring a small portfolio for constructive critique and feedback.

Thursday 16 October, 2pm

The President of the Society of Wildlife Artists, Harriet Mead, will lead a tour of the Society's 62nd annual exhibition: The Natural Eye 2025.

'I first showed my work at the SWLA in 1990 when I was a student. The sheer range of approaches, subjects and methods was inspiring and made a deep impression on me. That rather awestruck teenager would be astonished to learn that her much older self would have the honour of being at the helm of the Society that continues to help other young artists on their path to creating work inspired by the natural world' - Harriet Mead

Saturday 18 October, 11am to 3pm

Trained originally in etching, Max Angus has developed her own methods for creating multiple block original prints. Back in the studio Max uses a restored Albion Press (founded 1859, Southwark). Raiding the studio, Max will show examples of prints at different stages, alongside some of the blocks and different cutting tools used for making them.

Tuesday 21 October, 2pm

Jonathan Pomroy will demonstrate sketching, specifically Swifts: flight studies, nesting site studies, skies...

'I place great importance on observing wildlife and landscape on location and keep extensive sketchbooks packed with ideas for compositions. I have found field sketching to be the most enjoyable aspect of being an artist. There is great excitement from spending time close to wildlife and inevitably this brings some fascinating insights into the behaviour of many species' - Jonathan Pomroy

In 2018 Mascot Media published Jonathan's first book, On Crescent Wings: A Portrait of the Swift. It combines Jonathan's sketches of Swifts made between 2001-18 along with his writing about the species and what it has meant to him.

Wednesday 22 October, 11am to 4pm

Richard Allen SWLA will demonstrate sketching in watercolour, with examples of previous sketchbooks to hand.

Richard is an artist and illustrator based in East Anglia amid the creeks and marshes of the Essex coast. His great passion is the natural world, particularly birds, and he enjoys the challenge of sketching and painting them directly from life in the field in all weathers. The Colne estuary near his home in Wivenhoe provides plenty of inspiration, especially in winter when large flocks of waders and wildfowl congregate on the coast.

Thursday 23 October, 2pm

Harriet Mead and Tim Baldwin will co-present an illustrated talk about the SWLA Massingham Heath Project, the Society's year-long project following the rewilding journey of a farm in west Norfolk.

So far 32 SWLA artists have spent time on site documenting what they find, and the results have been spectacular. A small selection of work will be on display in the Out of the Frame room.

'I first visited Massingham Heath on a damp November day in 2022 and despite the fact that it was the start of winter, the masses of spent seed heads were evidence of the wonders that spring and summer would bring. A habitat rich in native plants will provide food and cover for a myriad of wildlife, so it was clear that this place would be full of inspiration for SWLA artists' - Harriet Mead 

'What started as a vague idea has blossomed into a wonderful celebration of how a farming estate can make room for nature. Artists are already planning their autumn and winter visits to ensure that the full story of a year on the Heath can be told' - Tim Baldwin

The talk is expected to last 30 minutes, followed by a viewing of the Out of the Frame room.

Images © Nik Pollard SWLA, Harriet Mead PSWLA, Max Angus SWLA, Jonathan Pomroy, Richard Allen SWLA, Carry Akroyd SWLA