David Quinn - artist

As a child I don't think I ever had the ambition of 'one day being an artist', for I already lived and breathed drawing and painting throughout my childhood.

By age 16 I felt that I wanted to dedicate myself to drawing and painting wildlife subjects.

Although very much a self-taught artist, I went to Manchester Polytechnic where I completed a one year foundation course in Art and Design, followed by a three year degree course in Illustration, where I began to seriously focus on wildlife subjects.

On leaving with a BA First Class Honours Degree in 1982, I was launched into the great wide world of finding work around London, taking my portfolio of work to artist agents and publishing houses. I managed to find work over the next few years, illustrating all kinds of Natural History subjects, from children's educational books to calendars, jigsaw puzzle designs and some advertising work. So, the early professional years saw a dazzling range of illustration briefs, from drawing a spider's spinnerets, to painting a colour page of parasitic ascaris worms - "Can you make it look like a plate of spaghetti?"

In 1987 I entered the British Birds magazine's Bird Illustrator of the Year competition, which I won.

After receiving my award from the famous wildlife artist Keith Shackleton at the Mall Galleries, I was inspired and all set for the wide variety of bird illustration work which has followed ever since. This was also the impetus I needed to travel all around Britain and also to embark on numerous trips abroad in search of birds.

Over the years, my work has featured in many important ornithology publications, ranging from identification guides and articles to more-Academic books on the biology and behaviour of birds. In recent years I've been commissioned regularly by National Geographic, to work on their Guide to the Birds of North America and also on a major Bird Migration Map project - a supplement to the National Geographic magazine.

Aside from my illustration work, I also draw and paint in a variety of media for exhibition. In 2003, I exhibited a painting at the highly prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's Birds in Art. My painting was purchased by the museum.

After 20 years of bird illustration, I'm now very excited to be drawing mammals for a forthcoming Atlas of the Mammals of Cheshire, and also for future exhibition.

David Quinn - artist
*medium*	Watercolour, Oils, Acrylics, Pastels, Pencils, Ink
*speciality*	Animals
career	As a child I don't think I ever had the ambition of 'one day being an artist', for I already lived and breathed drawing and painting throughout my childhood. By age 16 I felt that I wanted to dedicate myself to drawing and painting wildlife subjects. Although very much a self-taught artist, I went to Manchester Polytechnic where I completed a one year foundation course in Art and Design, followed by a three year degree course in Illustration, where I began to seriously focus on wildlife subjects. On leaving with a BA First Class Honours Degree in 1982, I was launched into the great wide world of finding work around London, taking my portfolio of work to artist agents and publishing houses. I managed to find work over the next few years, illustrating all kinds of Natural History subjects, from children's educational books to calendars, jigsaw puzzle designs and some advertising work. So, the early professional years saw a dazzling range of illustration briefs, from drawing a spider's spinnerets, to painting a colour page of parasitic ascaris worms - "Can you make it look like a plate of spaghetti?" In 1987 I entered the British Birds magazine's Bird Illustrator of the Year competition, which I won. After receiving my award from the famous wildlife artist Keith Shackleton at the Mall Galleries, I was inspired and all set for the wide variety of bird illustration work which has followed ever since. This was also the impetus I needed to travel all around Britain and also to embark on numerous trips abroad in search of birds. Over the years, my work has featured in many important ornithology publications, ranging from identification guides and articles to more-Academic books on the biology and behaviour of birds. In recent years I've been commissioned regularly by National Geographic, to work on their Guide to the Birds of North America and also on a major Bird Migration Map project - a supplement to the National Geographic magazine. Aside from my illustration work, I also draw and paint in a variety of media for exhibition. In 2003, I exhibited a painting at the highly prestigious Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum's Birds in Art. My painting was purchased by the museum. After 20 years of bird illustration, I'm now very excited to be drawing mammals for a forthcoming Atlas of the Mammals of Cheshire, and also for future exhibition.
*contact:*	David Quinn Northwich, Cheshire England UK
e-mail:
internet:	www.davidquinnwildlifeart.com
*telephone:*	01606557052