Wildlife artist takes first exhibition back to his roots

Last week, Mike and Louise Burks from The Gardens Group welcomed an old colleague back to host his first ever art exhibition at Castle Gardens. James Nash, who won his first art competition at two years old and is now a resident artist for the Hawk Conservancy in Andover, spent his weekends as a teenager working at Castle Gardens, before leaving in 1997 to pursue a career in engineering. James decided to go back to his artistic roots in 2013 and brought his first art exhibition, Drawn from the Wild, to the Sherborne-based garden centre, where he gained such valuable life experience.

Capturing the behaviour of wildlife by drawing live subjects in the wild, James’ work provides an authentic insight into how animals engage with their natural surroundings and how intense farming and a growing human population impacts upon their behaviour. Whether climbing a mountain searching for those emotive moments to paint or studying eagles and vultures first hand, James raises awareness of the urgent need for wildlife preservation through his artwork.

James explains;

“I was so pleased to return to Castle Gardens almost 20 years after leaving, as the skills that I gained from working with the team, who were more like family, really helped with my success in Aerospace Engineering Management. I would like to thank Mike, Louise and the team at Castle Gardens for all their support in the lead up and throughout the exhibition, which was a great success.”

Mike Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group, adds;

“James is a talented artist and has achieved a great deal since his time working with us, including working for Airbus, leading on the A330, A340 and A350 programmes. We are very proud of his achievements and it was a real pleasure to welcome him back with his first exhibition. We wish him every success during this new chapter and look forward to following his work.”

For more information about The Gardens Group visit www.thegardeneronline.co.uk.

To find out more about James Nash, visit www.britishwildlifeartist.wordpress.com.