Dick Twinney’s wildlife paintings show the wonder of nature that is all around us in the Westcountry. A new book of his work, From Hedgerow to High Tor, details its rich variety, as Neil Young reports

ARTIST Dick Twinney's love of the countryside oozes out of his paintings. And whether it is a study of ponies on the slopes of Roughtor or a dog otter on a frosty morning, each and every detail is painstakingly executed.

Many WMN readers, of course, will be familiar with Dick's work. Brought up in Devon, he has lived in Cornwall for 40 years. And over that time he has amassed a strong fan-base for his lifelike paintings of the flora and fauna of the Westcountry.

His new book, though, comes with something extra. Not only does it range across the wildlife be observes in the fields, the woods and moorlands of Devon and Cornwall, it features the painter's own diary.

So it is that we get to read first-hand of Dick's impressions that so capture his attention.

It's an engaging chronicle – and full of quirky details that might escape a less patient eye.

Of his painting Winter Woodies, for instance, he tells us: "One of my favourite country sounds is the cooing of wood pigeons. It is such a gentle call, not at all intrusive. The 'woody' itself is often overlooked as just another grey bird, but in fact the plumage is really beautiful. Mainly grey, yes, but greatly enhanced by shimmering, pinky-purple and emerald neck feathers, with a neat white patch and pink breast."

In Assessing the Situation, Dick depicts a fox on the prowl for hens outside a farmhouse, with an eager sheepdog on guard and sensing the menace. The picture is intriguing for how it show how the past is still such a powerful presence in the rural landscape.

He writes: "I loved the building as they are portrayed here, with the roof rafters exposed and the weathered Cornish stone and slate partially taken over by the various flowering plants and grasses found here during the summer months."

Dick's versatility is much in evidence – pictures vary from swallows in flight, brown trout, springtime wrens to badgers at Gorran Haven during a spring moon and a peregrine on Tintagel Head.

Elsewhere, he shows his fondness for the unusual or surprising. In Resting Place – Citroen 2CV Van and Fox, the wreckage of the van becomes a makeshift shelter.

He says: "I love old and abandoned vehicles. It is a nostalgia thing really. They are reminders of my childhood, of a slower, less technical age, where things that moved usually had pistons and belts, not chips.

"Animals are always quick to explore anything we may offer, especially if it involves shelter, habitat or food. This fox is no exception and has found a comfortable, sheltered resting place in which to spend the daylight hours."

Sticking with nostalgia, Dick harks back to a quieter past with Crib Break – Trewan Farm, St Columb 1930. It features heavy horses, a workman and a child at rest, three dogs and the evocative image of a distant church spire. It is, as he admits, "a bit whimsical" – as are many of the paintings in the collection.

But there's a vividness about them that reflects the artist's love for his subject, and the text helps the reader appreciate better these scenes that are such as characteristic of the Westcountry.

The book is published by Alison Hodge, priced £15, and will receive its launch at Fowey Town Hall on Monday, May 11 at the Daphne Du Maurier Festival.

Michael Williams, in his foreword, sums up its appeal: "Over the years his art has reflected rich, contrasting Cornish locations: the coastlines, two so different, gently sloping inlets and bays on the south seen against the rugged grandeur of the north. Then inland variety, ranging from the pine forest of Cardinham to the mixed woodlands around Malpas and the Fal – out on to the moors, wetlands, estuaries, streams and rivers, all providing habitat for a whole range of wildlife.

"Here is a volume destined to have a place in every worthwhile library, public and private, in Cornwall and far beyond the Tamar."