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Robert GillmorMBE
Gillmor in 2010
Born	(1936-07-06)6 July 1936 Reading, Berkshire, England
Died	8 May 2022(2022-05-08) (aged 85)
Education	Leighton Park School, Reading School of Fine Art at Reading University
Occupation(s)	Artist and illustrator
Notable work	New Naturalist book jackets since 1985.
Awards	RSPB Medal

Robert Gillmor MBE (6 July 1936 – 8 May 2022) was a British ornithologist, artist, illustrator, author and editor. He was a founder member of the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA) and was its secretary, chairman and president. He contributed to over 100 books, and in 2001 was a recipient of the RSPB Medal.

Early life

Gillmor was born on 6 July 1936 and educated at Leighton Park School, Reading and the School of Fine Art at Reading University. He was just 16 when his illustrations were first published, in the monthly magazine British Birds. When he was a student in the art department of Reading University, he illustrated his first book, A Study of Blackbirds. Gillmor taught art and craft at his old school for six years, Leighton Park in Reading before commencing a freelance career as a wildlife artist in 1965.

Later career

Gillmor's output was enormous and in a variety of forms, line drawing watercolour, lino-cuts and silk screen. After his first book in 1958, his work appeared in over 100 books.

Moving from Reading to Cley next the Sea in Norfolk in 1998 proved an inspiring influence on his work. He resumed making lino-cuts. He was also a keen ornithologist, and served on council for all three of the national organisations, RSPB, British Ornithologists' Union and the British Trust for Ornithology. He designed the first version of the RSPB's Avocet logo.

He illustrated the covers of the annual reports of the Berkshire Ornithological Club (previously Reading Ornithological Club) since 1950. He was a long-standing member (and former president) of the Reading Guild of Artists.

SWLA

After founding the Society of Wildlife Artists with Eric Ennion in the early 1960s, Robert served as its secretary and chairman for many years. He was also elected president in 1984 and served for two five-year periods, he also served as a vice-president of the society. As well as working to promote current work, he did much to promote work of past artists, including Charles Tunnicliffe, (editing three books) and his grandfather, Professor Allen W. Seaby (1867–1953), who instilled in him a love of printmaking.

Later life

In 2011, Gillmor completed lino-cuts for four sets of postage stamps for Royal Mail, with a further three sets (of six stamps each) in 2012.

A retrospective of Gillmor's work was exhibited at Reading Museum from 23 October 2011 to 29 April 2012.

He died on 8 May 2022, following a lengthy period of ill-health.

Works

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

• — (2006). Cutting Away: the linocuts of Robert Gillmor. Peterborough. ISBN 978-1-904078-14-2. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• — (2011). Birds, Blocks and Stamps: Post & Go Birds of Britain. Reading: Two Rivers Press. ISBN 978-1-901677-79-9.
• — (2014). Robert Gillmor's Norfolk Bird Sketches.

As editor

• Tunnicliffe, Charles (1981). Sketches of Bird Life. Gollancz. ISBN 0-575-03036-4.

As art editor

• The Birds of the Western Palaearctic, nine volumes, 1977–1994
• Birds of Berkshire, 1996

As illustrator

• David Snow. A Study of Blackbirds. – Gillmor's first book, undertaken while a student
• J. Denis Summers-Smith (1988). The Sparrows. ISBN 9780856610486.
• J. Denis Summers-Smith. The Tree Sparrow.
• Tony Soper (2006). The Bird Table Book. ISBN 978-0-7153-2413-4.
• Dye, Keith; Fiszer, Mick; Allard, Peter R. (2009). Birds New to Norfolk. ISBN 978-0-9542545-3-7.
• Clare, John (1982). Eric Robinson and Richard Fitter (ed.). John Clare's Birds. Oxford. ISBN 0192129775.
• Wood, J. Duncan (2003). Horace Alexander: 1889 to 1989: Birds and Binoculars. York: William Sessions Limited. ISBN 1-85072-289-7.
• The dust jackets of each of the New Naturalist series since 1985.

References

1. ^ "Robert returns to his roots". Henley Standard. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
2. Avery, Mark (10 October 2011). "Top scientist slams government". Retrieved 10 October 2011.
3. "Independent journalist wins RSPB medal". Birdwatch. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
4. ^ Avery, Mark. "Robert Gillmor – 1936 – 2022". Retrieved 10 May 2022.
5. " ". Springwatch. Season 2018. Episode 5. 4 June 2018. BBC Television. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
6. "Robert Gillmor: Retrospective". Reading Museum. 10 October 2011. Archived from the original on 22 October 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
7. "Robert Gillmor MBE 1936-2022". The Society of Wildlife Artists. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
8. Bayley, Sian. "Gillmor retires as cover artist for New Naturalist series". The Bookseller. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
9. Toms, Mike. "Review of Robert Gillmor's Norfolk Bird Sketches". British Trust for Ornithology (bto.org).

External links

• Sample works on SWLA website

• 1936 births
• 2022 deaths
• English illustrators
• English ornithologists
• 20th-century English painters
• English male painters
• 21st-century English painters
• 21st-century male artists
• People educated at Leighton Park School
• Alumni of the University of Reading
• British bird artists
• Artists from Reading, Berkshire
• People from Cley next the Sea