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Wild about drawing
24 June 2021
Larson-Juhl is always on the lookout for emerging talent, and we see it as our responsibility to showcase new generations of artists. That’s why we love to partner up with organisations such as the Society of Wildlife Artists, who run an annual exhibition and competition of which Larson-Juhl is delighted to be a sponsor.
This year, the exhibition, The Natural Eye, showcases the very best of fine art inspired by the natural world – displaying a wide-ranging collection of exciting and thought-provoking work including sculpture, printmaking, painting and drawing. The exhibition was held online this year, with many of the pieces still available to view and purchase on the Mall Galleries website.
The standard this year was exceptionally high, with many sunning entries. However, the winner of the Larson-Juhl drawing award was Nik Pollard who created a wonderful series of drawings on White-tailed Bumble Bees and Knapweed that took our breath away!
Nik Pollard says his work is generated from: “sustained, direct observation with paintings and drawings often resolved in the field. A period of dedicated study at single or related locations is a necessary part of my process. Drawing from all the senses, I investigate the rhythms and characteristics of a location and its ecology, resulting in a sense of time and place.”
Having been forced to focus on wildlife closer to home this year, Nik has given particular focus to the Bumblebee species that inhabit his local meadow. With this wonderful subject matter on the doorstep, he has been able to move seamlessly between field and studio to build a new body of work that celebrates these marvellous creatures whilst exploring different drawing and printing mediums.
Nik is a well-deserved winner, with his drawings beautifully capturing the movement and energy of the insects and giving a wonderful sense of being immersed within the meadow.
He said: “Presentation of my work is very important to me; therefore, I am excited to be receiving the Larson-Juhl Award and look forward to selecting some quality framing products.”
Follow Nik Pollard on Instagram @nik.pollard or view more of The Natural Eye exhibition here: https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/natural-eye-2020
