Andrew Stock is back at the Mall Galleries, London - with his new exhibition "Land, Sea and Skye" (from the 26th November - 1st December 2002). This is Andrew's eleventh London show and reflects recent visits to the North of Scotland as well as memories of a month in Rajasthan.

Early encouragement from the late Sir Peter Scott followed by diligent nurturing from the Malcolm Innes Gallery helped set Andrew on his way as an artist. He was elected a member of the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) in 1983 and has been the Society's Honorary Secretary since 1995. He has won numerous prizes including the Bird Illustrator of the Year Award. His work is in many private collections in this country and abroad. Andrew will be at the Mall Galleries throughout the exhibition. The Mall Galleries are open from 10.00am to 5.00pm daily (020 7930 6844).

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Hoodies; I could always find "hoodies" on Skye, even in the heaviest rain. This is a watercolour and acrylic painting; using a white acrylic base I glaze the watercolours on top - this helps create texture as well as keeping some of the translucent quality of watercolour.

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Wildlife features strongly in much of Andrew's work, but so do landscapes, boats, sea and sky, as well as the occasional figure. "The Isle of Skye trip was a bit of a damp affair, but I managed to paint every day with varying degrees of success. Sometimes it meant sitting in the car with the wipers on, at other times outside with the easel tied down against the wind, but it was well worth it. Abstract patterns of weed and mud shoals, carved apart by sparkling tide races, continually drew me to the sea lochs. Pabbay was as enchanting as ever and for the first time I had several good sightings of otters."



Arctic Skua, Sound of Harris: watercolour and gouache. Painting the sea is always a huge challenge, and I have attempted it many times up in the Outer Hebrides. There are many sea birds about with St Kilda so close; lines of Gannets weaving their way home, flights of shearwater slicing through the spray, fulmars always checking us out when we are in the boat and, just occasionally, we catch sight of a patrolling Skua.

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Glen Drynoch; I made several sketches of this view before carrying out this large painting back in the studio. There was always something going on in the middle ground - curlews, a sandpiper - or, as I have portrayed, a passing Grey Heron.

Visit Andrew's website