Vibrant British Feathers Exhibit at Martin Mere
There is so much more detail in our feathered friends than what you see at first glance and the latest exhibition at WWT Martin Mere showcases this.
Kathryn Speak, graphic designer and illustrator based in Chorley, Lancashire is exhibiting her ‘British Feathers – Series One’ collection at Martin Mere from Tuesday 25th February until Sunday 30th March.
From local walks around the Ribble Valley to weekends and holidays in the Lake District, as a creative person Kathryn is continuously inspired by nature. She started sketching up some of the birds she’d been photographing and realised that there is so much more detail than what you see at first glance. She decided to bring the vibrant colours to life in a very abstract way and ‘British Feathers - Series One’ is her first exhibition of finished pieces.
Kathryn commented, “There are so many bright and vivid colours on show! Even the tiny little wren, he’s just covered in the most beautiful plumage. People just don’t seem to appreciate the many different markings and beauty in some of our more common birds.”
Kathryn creates sketches by hand and then produces each individual feather digitally before choosing colours with the intention to exaggerate and highlight the feathers. Finally the birds are reproduced to scale as giclée prints on thick 300gsm paper, numbered and signed. These limited edition prints will be available to buy at WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre with a percentage of the sale going directly to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. The exhibition is included in the usual centre admission or free to WWT members.
“Hopefully this project will give something back to the work that WWT does, because their help means I can continue drawing our spectacular British birds. I am already preparing my next series, but it is proving difficult to decide which birds to illustrate!” added Kathryn.
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre is a haven for a host of creatures such as otters, beavers, kingfishers, geese and swans. Watch birds from the shelter of our comfortable hides, enjoy an expert walk or talk, or simply watch the world go by in our cafe overlooking our waterfowl collection – there’s plenty to do at a Wetland Centre all year round.
In addition to the British Feathers exhibition visit our family of otters: Ned, Thai, Penny, Flick and Belle as they are given their daily feeds at 11.30am and 2.30pm where you can watch them play and eat. See the fantastic sight and hear the haunting noise of up to 1000 Whooper swans as they are fed daily on the Mere at 3pm from Swan Link hide and 3.30pm from the heated Raines Observatory which includes a warden’s talk.
WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre is open every day (except Christmas Day) from 9.30am to 4.30pm during winter months and parking is free of charge. Situated off the A59, it is signposted from the M61, M58 and M6. The Centre is also accessible via the Southport to Manchester and the Liverpool to Preston line by train from Burscough Rail Stations.
