11 October 2016

Art for Wildlife's Sake at Northern Charity Exhibition

The Northern Wildlife Art Exhibition will include work by Ashley BoonFour of Britain's most renowned wildlife artists are to be represented at the Northern Wildlife Art Exhibition in Northumberland this month, and all are kindly donating a percentage of their sales to one of the UK's leading scientific research charities.

The exhibition will be held at Mowden Hall School near Stocksfield from Thursday 27th to Saturday 29th October, with a preview evening on Wednesday 26th October. The exhibition is for the benefit of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), which has for over seventy years been researching the causes of wildlife decline in the UK, and developing practical solutions to help restore a thriving countryside for generations to come.

The Northern Wildlife Art Exhibition will include work by Ian GreensittThe GWCT's vital and groundbreaking work is very close to the heart of all four artists: painters Ashley Boon, Jason Lowes and Mary Ann Rogers and sculptor Ian Greensitt, all of whom bring their own distinctive eye and style to a shared passion for wildlife and rural subjects.

Cumbria-based Ashley Boon has been exhibiting since 1990 and was recipient of the first Hugh Falkus Memorial Prize. He says, "I developed an abiding interest in Natural History at an early age, and was
fascinated by everything from pond life and reptiles to birds, which became my great love." He now The Northern Wildlife Art Exhibition will include work by  Jason Lowescaptures that childhood fascination through his work.

Jason Lowes lives in Stanhope in the North Pennines, and has been a full time artist for ten years, having previously worked a figurine designer and sculptor. He specialises in paintings and drawings of game birds, and moorland and upland landscapes. In particular, he is celebrated for his depiction of the red grouse.

Mary Ann Rogers self-publishes her own art, and won the Best Selling Published Artist award for 2009 from The Fine Art Trade Guild. She draws great inspiration from the landscape and wildlife of her native Northumberland, which she reproduces in a colourful and dynamic style that is unmistakably her own.

Sculptor Ian Greensitt works in bronze using a wax method to create limited editions of his subjects, with each piece having its unique colouration. He works in a studio in Northumberland, close to the moorlands where he is able to study his subjects in great detail, though he has recently produced piece based on the wildlife of South Africa.

The Northern Wildlife Art Exhibition will include work by Mary Ann RogersSophie Dingwall, the GWCT's regional organiser for the North East, says, "This exhibition will be a wonderful opportunity to see the work of four such unique talents in one place, tied together by a shared love for their local countryside and its wildlife."

The exhibition will be open for general viewing from 10pm-4pm on Thursday 27th & Friday 28th October and from 10am-1pm on Saturday 29th October. The preview on Wednesday 26th is open to ticket-holders only and will be held from 6pm-8.30pm; tickets are £10 each, including wine and canapes, and can be booked by contacting Sophie Dingwall sdingwall@gwct.org.uk

The exhibition is kindly sponsored by Lycetts, Corney & Barrow, Bond Dickinson, GSC Grays and UBS. Further information can be obtained by viewing www.gwct.org.uk/northernexhibition or contact Sophie Dingwall on 07925 597676.

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Photocaptions: The Northern Wildlife Art Exhibition will include work by Ashley Boon (1), Ian Greensitt (2), Jason Lowes (3) and Mary Ann Rogers (4).

To learn more about the artists, please visit their websites:

* Ashley Boon: www.ashleyboon.co.uk

* Jason Lowes: www.jasonlowes.co.uk

* Mary Ann Rogers: www.marogers.com

* Ian Greensitt: www.iangreensitt.com


Notes to editors

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.

For information, contact:
Eleanor Williams
Telephone: 07592 025476
Email: press@gwct.org.uk