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John Busby, Artist

Landscape and wildlife artist, illustrator and author

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New Forest

In 1999 a group of 30 artists from the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) were invited to the New Forest in Hampshire, UK, by the Forestry Commission, with the aim of capturing and recording the essence of the forest for all to enjoy. Working in four groups over 12 months (John was there in February 2000) their work is recorded in the book Drawn to the Forest by Robert Burton, published by The Wildlife Art Gallery, Lavenham.

In the book John wrote, “Since I first saw Paul Nash’s ‘Monster Field’ paintings as a student, I have been aware of the ‘presences’ of trees – even long dead ones. In the old parts of the New Forest, giant beeches are left as they fall or as lightning strikes them. They are stark in winter, dead but still animated like powerful sculptures – sphinx-like guardians of the pathways, asking riddles”

In John’s obituary in The Scotsman, John’s friend and fellow artist Darren Woodhead wrote, “I recall struggling to make sense of a New Forest landscape while on a Society of Wildlife Artists’ project, while John drew remarkable tree animals – not living animals sitting in trees – but the animals the gnarled ancient branch shapes created, a conger eel, a strange seahorse-type creature. That’s what John did; he saw where others could not.”

click on the pictures for details

Fungi in Old Tree 2000
signed pencil drawing 32 x 25 cm £350
Fungi on Birch Logs 2000
signed watercolour 24 x 32 cm £350 buy now
Guardian of Bolderwood, 2000
signed pencil drawing 32 x 24 cm £350 buy now Illustration from Drawn to the Forest p.50
In a winter field, New Forest
signed watercolour 23 x 28 cm £450 buy now 'fieldfares, Hawfinches, Blackbirds and Meadow Pipit in a winter field, New Forest February 2000'
New Forest Deer 2000
signed watercolour 25 x 35 cm £450 buy now
New Forest Ponies 2000
signed pastel drawing 35 x 25 cm £450 buy now
Winter Trees, Bolderwood, 2000
signed watercolour 35 x 25 cm £450 buy now illustration in Drawn to the Forest p4
Woodland Creature 2000
signed pencil drawing with pastel 32 x 25cm Illustration from Drawn to the Forest p51 £350 buy now

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