We take an opportunity with this Museum Highlight to show a piece by former RGA President Robert Gillmor of a familiar subject matter but in a medium different from his well-known linocuts.  Having joined the Reading Guild of Artists in 1960, this painting in gouache on grey paper was exhibited at the RGA 41^st Annual Exhibition, May 1971, Reading Museum and Art Gallery. Robert was by then already two years the RGA President which he continued to be until 1986. On retirement from this roll he was made an Honorary Life Member (given to a member who has distinguished themselves and/or served the Guild in some special and important way). 

The Bewick’s swan is a winter visitor travelling to our shores from Siberia during the autumn. They are the smallest of our swans and can be seen feeding in fields and roosting on open water in East Anglia, Lancashire and the Severn estuary. Gouache is a waterbased paint which, unlike watercolour, is opaque with a flat matt finish, its versatility making it a popular choice for illustrators and designers, leading to an often cheaper version of gouache being called poster paint. 

Robert was a long-time resident of Reading, dedicated to ornithology and art, before retiring to Norfolk, where he continued to create for many years. Here a few lines from a tribute written by Martin Andrews:

Robert was recognised as a wildlife artist of national and international importance which is reflected in the numerous appreciative obituaries that have appeared in the national press and media. But to many of us he was also a wonderful friend and a long-time resident of Reading who did so much to support the arts in the town.

His Grandfather, Allen Seaby, Professor of Fine Art at Reading University and a distinguished artist, printmaker and author best known for his pictures of birds and wildlife, lived in the same road. As a young boy Robert spent many hours watching his Grandfather at work in his studio drawing inspiration from him and absorbing Seaby’s knowledge and love of ornithology.

You can read Martin’s tribute in full on page 14 of the RGA Annual Review 2022-2023.