John Busby – Friends and Influences
An exhibition and sale of oils, watercolours and drawings from the studio of John Busby including works of other artists from his private collection was at the Wildlife Art Gallery, Lavenham, Suffolk in late 2016.
A large format 80 page catalogue is still available illustrating more than 120 pictures with a foreword by Robert Gilmor and introduction by Robert Walthew. £12.50 inc p&p from the Wildlife Art Gallery.
Foreword by Robert Gilmor
By 1988 the Society of Wildlife Artists, founded 24 years earlier, had gathered together the leading wildlife artists of the day, and established itself as the foremost body of wildlife art in Europe. It was absolutely the right time to establish a commercial gallery devoted solely to wildlife art. Two enterprising entrepreneurs, one of whom, Andrew Haslen, was himself a wildlife artist of growing repute, did just that.
As President of the Society they invited me to open the new gallery, coincidentally in the village where Sue and I had married fourteen years earlier. It was the start of an exciting period for wildlife artists, and Andrew and Graham Barker organised a long sequence of major exhibitions, with fine catalogues to accompany them.
John Busby, who had been a founder member of the SWLA, was a keen supporter, and exhibited regularly in the fledgeling gallery. He became one of the most respected and influential artists in our field, and it is wholly fitting that the gallery`s final exhibition should feature John, who inspired generations of artists for nearly sixty years.
We shall miss the gallery, but are immensely grateful to Andrew and Graham, and their dedicated team, for their pioneering work and for giving so many of us the opportunity to meet and exhibit with them.