Unending muse of the wildest places
Shooting Times & Country|December 23, 2020
Not every sporting artist actually participates in fieldsports but it seems the best work is created by those who do, says Richard Negus
Richard Negus
Unending muse of the wildest places

The millpond-calm Alde reflects a streaked and smudged eastern sky. From these grenadine heavens a pair of teal wing, putting on a touch of right rudder. They are heading towards a splash on the saltings, confident and bold, clearly unaware that behind a tumbledown wooden jetty, a wildfowler and his spaniel crouch in the mud. He has just shown himself, his barrels are swinging on their way to the port position in preparation for a shot.

As a viewer I am torn. The teal are so beautiful that to witness their end is almost saddening but conversely, as a sportsman, I will the fowler to shoot straight and bag his quarry — for these duck are hard won and tasty. This snapshot scene of a flight on the wild foreshore is typical of Simon Trinder’s art. It is a watercolour and hangs on the landing of our cottage. I see it each morning as I trudge to the shower.

I never tire of it — nor the daily reminder that I only succeeded in shooting the cock bird out of that pair of teal.

Sneering

Art is something very personal. I wouldn’t hang a Van Gogh sunflower in a cover crop. Despite this, art experts see fit to be markedly dictatorial, arbitrating with impunity on what is and what isn’t ‘Art’. Rodger McPhail is one of the country’s most successful sporting artists, yet when he started his training more than 45 years ago at the Coventry Art College, his lecturers sneered at his paintings of wildlife — they were not ‘Art’ he was told. They steered him off to Liverpool Art College, where the establishment’s specialism in graphic design would ‘better suit’ his talents.

Denne historien er fra December 23, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 23, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA SHOOTING TIMES & COUNTRYSe alt
United we stand
Shooting Times & Country

United we stand

Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Serious matters
Shooting Times & Country

Serious matters

An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023
They're not always as easy as they seem
Shooting Times & Country

They're not always as easy as they seem

While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Debutant gundogs
Shooting Times & Country

Debutant gundogs

There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
When the going gets rough
Shooting Times & Country

When the going gets rough

Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique

time-read
5 mins  |
August 02, 2023
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
Shooting Times & Country

The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition

In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make

time-read
4 mins  |
August 02, 2023
A step too far?
Shooting Times & Country

A step too far?

Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Two bucks before breakfast
Shooting Times & Country

Two bucks before breakfast

A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem

time-read
6 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Stalking Diary
Shooting Times & Country

Stalking Diary

Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill

time-read
2 mins  |
August 02, 2023
Gamekeeper
Shooting Times & Country

Gamekeeper

Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside

time-read
3 mins  |
August 02, 2023