A Life of Birds by Eric Ennion

In 1964 the oil company Shell commissioned Eric Ennion to paint 36 studies of birds for the Shell Guide to Bird Sanctuaries, a series of advertisements which appeared in magazines the following year. Each advert featured a main picture by a well-known contemporary artist, accompanied by three of Eric Ennion's small square pictures which were reproduced little bigger than large postage stamps. S R Badmin painted Rostherne Mere and St James' Park; Richard Eurich, the Calf of Man and the Farne Islands; Rowland Hilder, Dungeness and Minsmere; Peter Scott, Slimbridge; Charles Tunnicliffe, Newborough Warren and Skokholm; R B Talbot Kelly, Abbotsbury Swannery; and Donald Watson, Caerlaverock and Loch an Eilein. James Fisher supplied the texts. Eric Ennion was also commissioned to paint further pictures for use as additional illustrations on the sleeves of the Shell Nature Records series.

In July 2002 that part of Shell's remarkable collection of twentieth century artwork which did not relate directly to motoring was sold at Sotheby's and the 83 pictures painted by Eric Ennion were subsequently exhibited at the Wildlife Art Gallery in Lavenham. A Life of Birds was published to provide a permanent record of this exceptional body of work, with most of the 83 pictures reproduced close to their actual size. Eric Ennion's artwork is accompanied by extracts from his writings from the 1950's when he ran his own bird observatory at Monks' House at Seahouses in Northumberland, and the 1960's when he had 'retired' to Shalbourne in Wiltshire.

Edited by Bob Walthew
Introduction by Robert Gillmor

80 pages (280 x 210 mm), 83 colour illustrations.

ISBN 0-9526-2364-X

£25

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