Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus)

Summer 2026

It has been summer of extremes for almost three months here in East Anglia .  High pressure has dominated for weeks and weeks on end with very little wind and daytime temperatures running at 3.1ºC above average with consistently high readings well above the seasonal norm.  Night time temperatures have also been at record breaking levels throughout the summer months.  The officially declared drought has left wildlife facing critical shortages of water, shelter, and accessible food.

With all of that in mind I've been out to various Fenland sites over the summer months to see for myself.  There is water in the ditches and dykes, but the skies have been relatively empty of swifts, swallows and martins.  Flowering plants have been showing stress and the landscape has been eerily quiet; and birdsong has seemed more subdued. 

However, dragonflies appear to have had a good year!

 Banded Demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens - female)

Field sketching, Woodwalton Fen

Four-spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata)

Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) and Hairy Dragonfly (Brachytron pratense)

Flag Iris and Hairy Dragonflies

Ongoing until December 2026

Another project currently ongoing in the studio is working on a series of black & white illustrations for a new book by acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Alastair Fothergill. 

A Natural Selection is a "love letter to life in its wildest forms" which explores Alastair’s career, behind-the-scenes stories of filming 10 specific animals, and the urgent environmental changes threatening them.

See more ............. 

This is my contribution to the exhibition this year. Its a 5-colour relief print of Oxeye Daisies, Shelduck and Red Kite.

One of the field sketches from a day in 2025 I spent sitting at the edge of a field full of oxeye daisies. I watched and sketched as birds, butterflies and dragonflies passed, but it was the brightness of the shelduck against the landscape that created the idea of an image that would work well as a print.

The Mall Galleries, The Mall, London SW11

1st October - 10th October 2026

Open daily 10am - 5pm

The exhibition will also see the launch of the book This Healing Heath by author Nick Acheson.

It tells the story of the SWLA art project where more than thirty artists over two years documented the wildlife and landscape of restored heathland and meadows on visionary landowner Olly Birkbeck’s regenerative farm in west Norfolk.

The 600-plus works from the artists, many created directly from life, provided a rich selection for inclusion in the book. Author and naturalist Nick Acheson shared the artists’ creative time on the heath bringing it vividly to life, weaving together the stories of the land, its restoration by Olly, the art and the wildlife. 

Nick Acheson is a highly respected British naturalist, conservationist, author, and broadcaster who serves as the official Wildlife Ambassador for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT). Deeply rooted in his home county of Norfolk, Acheson has dedicated over a decade to writing, speaking, and campaigning for local biodiversity and broader environmental protection. Due to growing climate concerns, he famously chose to stop flying and now focuses his work entirely on studying and defending the wildlife close to home.

Sketching humpbacks, Iceland 2022

North Norfolk (Scolt Head Island) 2023

Antarctic peninsula, 2019