Gregory Poole (1960–2018) was a British painter, graphic artist and printmaker, known for his wildlife subjects, especially birds. Poole was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England, on 26 October 1960, to May (née Rex), a

teaching assistant A teaching assistant (TA) or education assistant (EA) is an individual who assists a professor or teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include ''graduate teaching assistants'' (GTAs), who are graduate students; ''undergraduate teach ...

, and John Poole, a gas fitter. As a youth, he was a

bird watcher Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescope, ...

and trained as a bird ringer. He was educated at Cotham Grammar School and then studied

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

Cardiff University Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

. During field work in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, he developed the desire to use art to express his feelings about nature. After a period as a volunteer warden at Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory, he undertook a foundation course at

Manchester Polytechnic Manchester Metropolitan University is located in the centre of Manchester, England. The university has 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Education ...

in order to develop his skills as an artist. He designed a carpet, depicting several examples of the

food chain A food chain is a linear network of links in a food web, often starting with an autotroph (such as grass or algae), also called a producer, and typically ending at an apex predator (such as grizzly bears or killer whales), detritivore (such as ...

, for the visitor centre at RSPB Sandwell Valley. The carpet was lost in March 2010, when the building was destroyed by arson. He also designed graphic interpretation panels for a number of public open spaces. For the latter he worked digitally, using a

graphics tablet A graphics tablet (also known as a digitizer, digital graphic tablet, pen tablet, drawing tablet, external drawing pad or digital art board) is a computer input device that enables a user to hand draw or paint images, animations and graphics, w ...

. He exhibited with the

Society of Wildlife Artists The Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) is a British organisation for artists who paint or draw wildlife. It was founded in 1964. Its founder president was Sir Peter Scott, the current president of the society is British artist Harriet Mead. The s ...

in 1991 and was a member from 1993. He undertook a number of residencies at the gallery

Nature in Art Nature in Art is a museum and art gallery at Wallsworth Hall, Twigworth, Gloucester, England, dedicated exclusively to art inspired by nature in all forms, styles and media. The museum has twice been specially commended in the National Heritag ...

, whose collection includes some of his work. He served three terms on the Society's governing council. He received the 2011 Birdscapes Gallery Printmaker's prize, and the 2015 RSPB Art Award. He also taught classes in drawing. He cited the artists

Nicola Henley Nicola may refer to: People * Nicola (name), including a list of people with the given name or, less commonly, the surname ** Nicola (artist) or Nicoleta Alexandru, singer who represented Romania at the 2003 Eurovision Song Contest * Nicola peopl ...

and Kim Atkinson as early influences, and later collaborated with David Measures on shared canvasses. Poole, who was based in Bristol, died on 28 December 2018 after experiencing complications following a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

, and is survived by his partner Susan and a brother.

Publications

References

External links

*
Interview with Burcu Arik of Doga Dernegi
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Greg 1960 births 2018 deaths Wildlife artists 20th-century English painters 21st-century English painters Alumni of Cardiff University British art educators Painters from Bristol English ornithologists Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University