Just wild about artist's latest show (From Gazette & Herald)

Just wild about artist's latest show

WILDLIFE artist Robert E Fuller's much-anticipated new exhibition of his latest paintings and prints will be held next month.

Wide interest is expected, judging from his last exhibition, in November, which attracted almost 2,000 visitors. Nearly all of his originals were sold - most of them on the opening night.

The venue for the exhibition will once again be Robert's own gallery and studios at Fotherdale Farm, Thixendale, near Malton.

The show runs from Saturday, June 14, to Sunday, June 29, between 11am and 4.30pm. There will be a preview evening on Friday, June 13, between 6.30pm and 9.30pm.

On show will be 25 new originals in either oil or acrylic paint. Also on display will be 70 different limited edition prints by Robert and six of his bronze sculptures.

Wildlife is always the main theme of the artist's work and he finds many of his subjects in the fields that surround his farmhouse on the Wolds.

Says Robert: "It's a fantastic place to live if you're a wildlife artist. I wake up in the morning to find grey partridges mooching around my garden, hares boxing in the field opposite my bedroom window and this morning, I saw two roe deer ambling along the hedgerow past the house.

"Each year, the wildlife around here seems to get better and better. I've taken hundreds of photographs already this year around Fotherdale which I will use to paint from."

Whilst around half of Robert's paintings depict British wildlife, the other half depicts African wildlife. He travels to Africa every year to watch and photograph wildlife and is planning a 12-day trip in July to Etosha National Park in Namibia.

For this exhibition, Robert has painted several pictures of a leopard, which he photographed in Kruger National Park, South Africa, in September.

One of the paintings, entitled Just Checking, is a close-up of a leopard lounging on a tree, painted in acrylic and priced at £3,500.

Says Robert: "I loved photographing this leopard and couldn't wait to get back home to a paint her. She had dragged an impala up the tree and had been eating it for several hours.

"She decided to have a little afternoon nap and was clearly full to bursting. It didn't stop her eyes from pricking up, mind you, when she spotted something else from her high vantage point."

With the help of a Rural Enterprise Scheme grant, Robert converted a disused dairy next to his home into the gallery in 2001.

The 60ft gallery is itself a work of art, with original beams and oak floors setting off the wildlife paintings and sculptures.

After looking at his paintings in his gallery, visitors are encouraged to browse through the studio where he paints and look through some of the wildlife photographs he has taken and uses to paint from.

Robert also puts out sketches he produced when he was between 11 and 14 years old.

He says: "People are surprised to see how many photographs it takes to produce a painting and like to see how I go about it. Parents are always particularly interested to see what my paintings were like when I was at school, to see if they've got a wildlife artist in the family too."

For those who are unable to make the exhibition in June, Robert's paintings can also be seen online at www.RobertEFuller.com.

A new catalogue, including all his limited edition prints and further details of the exhibition, is available free of charge. To receive a copy, you can write to Robert Fuller at Fotherdale Farm, Thixendale, Malton YO17 9LS, or ring (01759) 368355.

Updated: 17:08 Wednesday, May 28, 2003