AN exhibition of wood engravings featuring British wildlife, by one of the most revered printmakers in the world, Colin See-Paynton, is taking place next week at Nature in Art, Twigworth.

Colin See-Paynton is entirely self-taught as a wood engraver, but since he began to make prints in 1980 he has established himself as one of the most admired printmakers in the world. Since then he has produced over 250 editions.

Colin has brought a new vitality to one of the earliest forms of printmaking. Although his work is based on the meticulous observation of the natural world, his talent is to invent compositions which distil the ecological and behavioural relationships of the species and their habitats. He uses his knowledge and imagination to construct engravings of great complexity and refinement and has evolved something new by the patterning and layering of his images.

Nature in Art is honoured to have several of Colin’s prints in its permanent collection and to have had the opportunity in years past to show other collections of his work. In addition to Nature in Art his prints are held in many other public collections including the V&A (London), the Ashmolean (Oxford) and Guangdong Museum of Art (China).

This exhibition mixes new work focusing on a family of hares which made their home in Colin’s remote Welsh farmhouse garden and a selection of earlier work which uses an increasingly abstract and fluid line to capture the fast and fleeting lines of birds and fish. All display his unique style that combines technical mastery and inventive interpretation.

Nocturnal Encounters is on display at Nature in Art, Wallsworth Hall, Twigworth from April 21 to May 17. Admission charges apply. For more information, visit www.nature-in-art.org.uk