Derek Robertson (artist) explained

Derek Robertson RSW SSA SAA (born 1967) is a Scottish artist. One of the signature members of the Society of Animal Artists, he is known for his paintings of wildlife and landscapes,^[1] and for his poetic narrative work^[2] consisting of paintings, constructions and installations. He has been elected several times on the Council of the RSW and has written and presented 5 television programs^[3] about his work and the wildlife he portrays and has written 5 books about his art: The Mugdrum,^[4] Highland Sketchbook,^[5] A Studio Under The Sky,^[6] Otters, An Artist's Sketchbook, "Living Landscapes" and Puffins: An Artist's Sketchbook. His work has also illustrated many other publications.^[7]

Life and work

Derek Robertson was born near St Andrews, Fife, Scotland . While at the High School of Dundee^[8] he attended weekend art classes by James MacIntosh Patrick before completing a BA (Hons) in drawing and painting at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee.^[9] On graduating in 1989^[10] he was commissioned by HarperCollins to write and illustrate his first book, "Highland Sketchbook" which was nominated for the McVities Prize.^[11] He was then commissioned by Grampian Television to present a program about his work for the series "Portrait of The Wild".^[12] He went on to write and present a series of four, half-hour programs for Grampian TV/STV entitled "Drawn From Wild Places".^[13] He has won several awards, including the RSW Small Painting Prize, Glasgow Art Club Fellowship^[14] and John Gray Award.^[15] He has illustrated many publications, most notably "Song of The Rolling Earth" and "Nature's Child" by the nature writer Sir John Lister-Kaye. He exhibits mainly in the UK, but also overseas and his work is held in public and private collections internationally.^[16] His wildlife work is noted for his use of outdoor sketching from life^[17] and for often using the unusual technique of watercolour on linen.^[18] He has served on the selection and hanging committees for a number of the exhibiting societies in Scotland and on the council of the Aberdeen Artists Society.^[19] He has worked on collaborative projects with the poets Valerie Gillies^[20] and Rody Gorman.^[21] as well as being appointed Artist in Residence at Tentsmuir Nature Reserve and working on numerous collaborative projects with scientists and other creative practitioners.

Wildlife research

Derek Robertson is an amateur wildlife researcher. He is a licensed bird ringer and has assisted many research projects which have resulted in co-authored publications including a collaborative research project on farmland finches with the BTO.^[22] His own studies have also been published in scientific papers^[23] and he has illustrated and edited a number of papers and publications including the Fife Bird Atlas.^[24] He has accompanied research expeditions to Africa and Scandinavia and to seabird islands such as St Kilda, the Shiant Isles and Handa Island which have all featured in his paintings.^[25] He has served on many research and conservation committees including the Isle of May Bird Observatory,^[26] the Tay Ringing Group, and the BTO council and ringing committee.

Further reading

• News: Susan . Mansfield . Where The Wild Things Are . The Scotsman, Critique . Edinburgh . 7 . 2008-08-16 . Describes Derek Robertson is never happier than when painting in the great outdoors. Exhibition review.
• News: Glenn . Stuart . A Studio Under The Sky . The Scottish Wildlife Trust Magazine . Edinburgh . 14 . Autumn 2001 . Describes Derek Robertson's latest book is a beautifully produced, limited edition that portrays a personal and intimate view of creatures in the wild. Review.
• News: Gillian . Zealand . A Studio Under The Sky . . Aberdeen . 26 . 2008-08-16 . Describes Gillian Zealand meets wildlife artist Derek Robertson. Review.
• Book: Robertson , Derek . Highland Sketchbook . hardback . author and illustrator . . Bishopbriggs . 978-0-00-434590-1 . 165 . 1992 . Describes A Year In Glen Esk
• Book: Robertson , Derek . A Studio Under The Sky . author and illustrator . Woodlands Studios . Dunfermline . 978-0-9539393-2-9 . 152 . 2001 . Describes Paintings and sketches by the artist.
• Book: Robertson , Derek . Otters. An Artist's Sketchbook . softback . author and illustrator . Woodlands Studios . Aberdeen . 978-0-9539324-1-2 . 48 . 2009 . 2014-04-15 . Describes book. Paintings and observations of otters.
• Book: Lister-Kaye , Sir John . Nature's child . hardback . illustrator . Little, Brown / Time Warner . London . 978-0-316-72731-0 . 193 . 2004 . Describes book. Illustrated by the artist.
• Book: Lister-Kaye , Sir John . Song of The Rolling Earth . hardback . illustrator . . London . 978-0-316-86176-2 . 332 . 2003. Book Illustrated by the artist
• Book: Derek . Robertson . Boon, A. Williams, O. Sainsbury, J. McPhail, R. Lambert, t. Hoskyns, B. Gudgeon, S. Sykes, K. . Grouse. An Artists' View . hardback . author and illustrator . Swan Hill Press/ Quiller Press . Shrewsbury . 978-1-84689-019-2 . 130–143 & 151 . 2007 . Book. Images of grouse. Paintings and writing by the artist.
• Book: Daichies, D. . Tam O' Shanter. A Tale . hardback . illustrator . Moubray House Publishing . Edinburgh . 978-0-948473-17-3 . 32 . 199 . English, Scots . Book. Illustrations by the artist.
• News: Ken . Stroud . Wildlife Sketchbook (periodical) . Wildscape Magazine. The Wildlife Art Society International . 4–5 . Winter 2001 . The artist works extensively in the field... . Description: review by editor of Wildscape magazine describing artist's working technique.
• News: Edward . Gage . Gestural Empathy of a Poet (broadsheet) . . June 1992 . large series of emphatically detailed observations. . Description: exhibition review

External links

• "Interview: Derek Robertson is never happier than when painting in the great outdoors", The Scotsman, 15 August 2008. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
• Wildlife and landscapes
• Narrative paintings and constructions

Notes and References

1. Web site: Robertson.html . Artist-registry.stanford.edu . 2012-02-28.
2. Web site: Article : DEREK ROBERTSON EXHIBITION - St Fergus Gallery, Wick . Arts.Caithness.Org . 2012-02-28.
3. "Around Scotland", The Scots Magazine Dundee. p624, June 1995
4. Cyril Gerber, In conversation with Peter Hill. Alba Magazine Edinburgh,Summer 1999 p48
5. Wild in de Natuur,exhibition catalogue t' Kunsthuis van het Oosten, Enschede, Nederlands, 2009 p31
6. New Books, Scots Magazine,Edinburgh, February 2001, p143
7. Art and Observation, Scottish Bird News, Aberlady, p4 No 88 June 2008
8. Former Pupils http://www.archive.highschoolofdundee.org.uk/Filename.ashx?tableName=ta_publications&columnName=filename&recordId=162
9. Birds in Art exhibition catalogue 'Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wasau, Wisconsin USA 2001 p101
10. Web site: Biography of Derek ROBERTSON | Anthony Woodd Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland . Anthonywoodd.com . 2012-02-28 . dead . https://archive.today/20130116225559/http://www.anthonywoodd.com/artist/derek-robertson . 2013-01-16 .
11. Alan macLeod, Painting Paradise, Kingdom Magazine, Dalgety Bay, Fife, Issue 8 spring 2005, p30-31.
12. Deirdre Gillespie, Drawn from Wild Places, Scottish Field Edinburgh, June 1995 pp. 14-17
13. Drawn From Wild Places, Preview, Kelvingrove Museums, Glasgow, July–September 1995 p6
14. Web site: Fife artists honoured by Society of Painters in Watercolour . The Courier . 2011-02-12 . 2012-02-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110405210959/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/Living/Arts-and-Literature/article/10535/fife-artists-honoured-by-society-of-painters-in-watercolour.html . 2011-04-05 .
15. Web site: Artists' stroke of genius! - Local Headlines . Fife Today . 2012-02-20 . 2012-02-28.
16. Web site: Derek Robertson, British wildlife illustrations, birds artist, wildlife illustrations, natural history drawings, wildlife art . Wildlife Art Company . 2012-02-28 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120316200328/http://www.wildlifeartcompany.com/derek_robertson.php . 2012-03-16 .
17. A Walk on The Wild Side, Artists and Illustrators Magazine,London, October 1999 pp. 42-43
18. Painting with Gouache on Linen, Artists and Illustrators Magazine,London, January 2001 pp. 24-24
19. AAS Annual Exhibition Catalogue, Issue 74, 2008, Aberdeen
20. Valerie Gillies, The Chanter's Tune, Canongate, Edinburgh pp. 15-19
21. Ruairidh agus Ruairidh eile, STanza Scottish International Poetry Festival Programme 2012, St Andrews, cover and p. 12
22. Calladine et al. BTO News Issue 247 July–August 2003, pp. 10-11
23. Web site: Tay Ringing Group - Ornithology conservation charity - bird and habitat research into their biodiversity, population or environment . 2012-02-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120907124143/http://www.tayringinggroup.org/articles.htm . 2012-09-07 . dead .
24. Web site: The SOC: Fife Bird Atlas . 2012-02-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120909054523/http://www.the-soc.org.uk/fife-bird-atlas.htm . 2012-09-09 .
25. Neil Glenn, Scotland's Migrant Magnet, Birds Illustrated, Vol. 5 Issue 4. Summer 2008, Peterborough, pp. 45-49.
26. Ringing Report, Isle of May Annual Report, 1999