WILDLIFE ARTIST
KEITH BROCKIE
BIO
Keith Brockie was born in Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland, in December 1955. Educated at Bell Baxter High School, Cupar, Fife 1970-74. In 1978 he graduated from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee, and after a short period working as an illustrator with Dundee Museums and Art Galleries he became a freelance artist specialising in wildlife.
Since then he has had 8 books published featuring his own work, Keith Brockie’s Wildlife Sketchbook, 1981; One Man’s Island, 1984; The Silvery Tay, 1988; Mountain Reflections, 1994; Cuaderno de Campo de la Naturaleza Espaniola, 1995 and Drawn from Nature, 1995; Return to One Man’s Island, 2012; Glen of the Lapwing, 2019. In addition he has part or wholly illustrated many more books including ‘Rural Portraits’, 2003, featuring the native farm animals of Scotland and the characters involved with them. A film ‘One Man’s Island’ featuring his work on the Isle of May was shown on the BBC 2 World About Us series in 1984.
In the course of his work he has travelled widely in countries as disparate as Scandinavia, North Yemen, Tanzania, India and North America. Also he has participated in expeditions to Greenland in1982, 88, 91 and Svalbard 1993 as assistant leader with the British Schools Exploring Society teaching about the wildlife and field sketching.
Working with groups of artists he has participated in environmental awareness projects (Artists for Nature Foundation) in Schiermonikoog, Netherlands, 1990 ; Biezbra Valley, Poland, 1992 ; Copper River Delta, Alaska, 1995 ; Briere Marshes, Loire, France, 2001; Hula Valley, Israel, in January, 2008 and the Society of Wildlife Artists Atlantic Oakwoods (Ardnamurchan) project in 2004.
His other natural history interests include the ringing of birds and monitoring birds of prey such as golden eagle and peregrine falcon. Since 1982 he has studied and helped protect the increasing osprey population in Perthshire through artificial nest building, nest protection with army, police and RSPB personnel, individual colour ringing and satellite tagging chicks etc.
His original art is highly regarded, a recent review in The Scotsman of the Curious Eye exhibition at The Royal Scottish Academy by Duncan Macmillan, one of Scotland’s foremost art critics recognised the depth of observation and feeling which is transmitted by Keiths’ work: “His study of a hare watched through a telescope is as beautiful as the hare itself, but it is not just a borrowed beauty, something appropriated, that we admire in his work….(it) is a record of something seen, certainly, but also of otherness understood and wondered at, of empathy, of seeing informed by feeling…To record and transmit real feeling can’t be borrowed. It has to be your own, and if it is counterfeit we soon spot that deception”.
He lives with his wife Hazel in the village of Fearnan, on the shores of Loch Tay, Perthshire, where he has a studio and gallery featuring his own work.
ONE MAN EXHIBITIONS
The Stirling Gallery, Stirling, 1979
The Brotherton Gallery, London, 1981, 82, 84
Scottish Arts Council, Travelling Gallery (Highland Tour), 1982
Kellie Lodging, Pittenweem Arts Festival (Fife), 1983, 2013
The Tryon Gallery, London, 1988
The Wildlife Art Gallery, Lavenham, Suffolk, 1993, 95
Barrack Street Museum, Dundee, 1993
Scottish Office, Edinburgh, 1997
McManus Galleries, Dundee Museum, 2003
Royal Highland Show, Edinburgh, 2003
Museum of Scottish Country Life, East Kilbride, 2003
Waterston House, Aberlady, East Lothian, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017
Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Slimbridge, 2010
Fearnan Gallery, permanent exhibition of own work
BOOKS
He has had 8 books published featuring his own work; Keith Brockie’s Wildlife Sketchbook, 1981; One Man’s Island, 1984; The Silvery Tay, 1988; Mountain Reflections, 1994; Cuaderno de Campo de la Naturaleza Española, 1995; Drawn from Nature, 1995; Return to One Man’s Island, 2012 and Glen of the Lapwing, recently published in July 2019.
He has also illustrated many more books including ‘Rural Portraits’, 2003, featuring the native farm animals of Scotland and the characters involved with them. A film ‘One Man’s Island’ featuring his work on the Isle of May was shown on the BBC 2 World About Us series in 1984.
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