Birds are an important symbol of life in West Cornwall, featured on the county’s coat of arms, and a constant backdrop as they swoop, swirl and call across the cliffs, coastline, estuaries, hedgerows, farmland and gardens that make up our landscape.
They are also at the centre of this summer’s exhibition at Penlee House Gallery, Penzance – Birds: the Art of Cornwall’s Birdlife, which runs from 7 May until 4 October.
It is the last exhibition in a series staged by Penlee over the past year, looking at the effects of our changing climate and lifestyle on the environment.
This exhibition explores how artists working in Cornwall from the 1870s to the present have been inspired by birds. Featuring paintings by artists such as Charles Simpson, Frank Heath, John Wells and Bryan Wynter; rarely seen Victorian engravings and taxidermy as well as contemporary photography and video, the exhibition will explore the art of birds and their habitats through the eyes of artists working in Cornwall over the past three centuries.
(c) Mrs T. A. Coultas (Annie Coultas); Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation
