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, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

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

teaching assistant A teaching assistant or teacher's aide (TA) or education assistant (EA) or team teacher (TT) is an individual who assists a teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include ''graduate teaching assistants'' (GTAs), who are graduate stude ...

, 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 like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

and trained as a

bird ringer Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...

. He was educated at Cotham Grammar School and then studied

zoology Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...

Cardiff University , latin_name = , image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University , motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord , mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord , established = 1 ...

. During field work in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

, 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 over 40,000 students and over 4,000 members of staff. It is home to four faculties (Arts and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Educat ...

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 starting from producer organisms (such as grass or algae which produce their own food via photosynthesis) and ending at an apex predator species (like grizzly bears or killer whales), d ...

, 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 images, animations and graphics, with a spec ...

. He exhibited with the Society of Wildlife Artists 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 Heritage ...

, 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 people ...

and

Kim Atkinson Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese ...

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 blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

, 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 teachers Artists from Bristol English ornithologists Alumni of Manchester Metropolitan University