Greg_Poole
Greg Poole
English painter
Gregory Poole (1960-2018) was a British painter, graphic artist and printmaker, known for his wildlife subjects, especially birds.
Poole was born in Bristol, England, on 26 October 1960, to May (née Rex), a teaching assistant, and John Poole, a gas fitter.[1] As a youth, he was a bird watcher and trained as a bird ringer.[1] He was educated at Cotham Grammar School[1] and then studied zoology at Cardiff University. During field work in Canada, he developed the desire to use art to express his feelings about nature.[1] After a period as a volunteer warden at Bardsey Bird and Field Observatory,[1] he undertook a foundation course at Manchester Polytechnic in order to develop his skills as an artist.[2]
He designed a carpet, depicting several examples of the food chain, for the visitor centre at RSPB Sandwell Valley.[3] The carpet was lost in March 2010, when the building was destroyed by arson.[4] He also designed graphic interpretation panels for a number of public open spaces.[5] For the latter he worked digitally, using a graphics tablet.[5]
He exhibited with the Society of Wildlife Artists in 1991 and was a member from 1993.[2][6] He undertook a number of residencies at the gallery Nature in Art, whose collection includes some of his work.[7] He served three terms on the Society's governing council.[6] He received the 2011 Birdscapes Gallery Printmaker's prize,[2] and the 2015 RSPB Art Award.[8] He also taught classes in drawing.[2]
He cited the artists Nicola Henley and Kim Atkinson as early influences,[9] and later collaborated with David Measures on shared canvasses.[1]
Poole, who was based in Bristol,[5] died on 28 December 2018 after experiencing complications following a heart attack,[2] and is survived by his partner Susan and a brother.[1]