Scientist and lecturer to exhibit in major national Wildlife art exhibition
An honorary lecturer at Bangor University balances her scientific interest in birds by expressing her fascination with them through her art.
Chough by Rachel TaylorDr Rachel Taylor’s work has now been selected from over 600 submissions to appear alongside works by some of Britain’s leading wildlife artists. The exhibition will be on display at Mall Galleries between 24 October to 3 November 2019.
Rachel contributes to the Zoology with Ornithology degree course at the School of Natural Sciences. She is also the science lead for the British Trust for Ornithology in Wales, ân NGO based in the University’s Thoday Building in Bangor. Rachel spends a great deal of her time studying birds, both professionally and as a citizen scientist.
She has been making stained glass sculptures for just over three years, and has previously exhibited in Oriel Môn on Anglesey and annually at Rutland Bird Fair. Her work expresses her love and understanding of birds and their ecology, but also (increasingly) the impacts of human influences on them and their habitats.
Rachel, who lives near Llyn Padarn in Llanberis, said:
“I not only love birds for their beauty and freedom, I also see them embedded in their ecological context, and understand them well enough for my glass birds to be anatomically correct.
We have such a fantastic range of habitats locally from moorland to reedbed, mountains to sea - which are a constant source of inspiration any time soon! It's more a case of constantly keeping my balance between science and art. I do find they complement each other - as a scientist, I need to remain neutral and factual, and retain a balanced and evidence-based perspective in my work. As ân artist, I am free to express joy and beauty, and try to bring an emotional and personal perspective to the pieces I make. Many scientists are very creative, and I believe visual arts and the personal emotional response are important to the process of communicating science.”
Rachel has three pieces in the national exhibition: ‘Chough’, ‘Hostile Environment’ and ‘Under The Surface’
http://delweddyfran.com/glass-gallery/chough/
https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/natural-eye-2019/chough
http://delweddyfran.com/glass-gallery/hostile-environment/
https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/natural-eye-2019/hostile-environment
http://delweddyfran.com/glass-gallery/under-the-surface/
https://www.mallgalleries.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/natural-eye-2019/under-surface
The Natural Eye exhibition will include over 350 works by members elected to the Society of Wildlife Artists Annual Exhibition and artists selected from open submission. It has come to be recognised as the most prestigious and varied exhibition of wildlife art in the UK. Work covers a range of subject matter all inspired by the natural world.
Publication date: 22 October 2019