Rose Corcoran
Rose Corcoran is a British wildlife artist who honed her skills studying drawing and illustration for 6 years culminating in a Masters degree from The royal college of Art in London. On graduating in 2000 Rose opened her first show at The Sladmore Gallery in Mayfair She has continued to exhibit her work extensively in London, also having show’s in Paris, New York and Santa Fe and her work is collected worldwide.
Through her work with Tigers and other animals Rose strives to capture a moment, a feeling that she has either experienced in the wild or seen in captivity. Her drawings do not act as portraits, as such, but representations of a species, the essence or spirit of that particular animal. As she says herself, ‘Nothing prepares you for seeing an animal in the wild. In the presence of these creatures you are struck by their immense beauty and power, and filled with the sense of your own humble place in nature.’ The endangered status of these awesome animals became a passionate concern, her work is dedicated to a secure future for her animal subjects in their natural habitat, which also assures her own future in the art world. Rose believes in Art for purpose and uses her work to promote awareness about the importance of conservation.
'Alphabet of Animals' is Rose's first book which contains 26 of her beautiful illustrations of animals from around the world. Each letter represents an animal and is accompanied by a carefully chosen poem or quote by a variety of author's from the likes of Sir David Attenborough to C.S Lewis highlighting the magnificence and importance of the animals that live alongside.The book also highlights the conservation status of each animal and is a call to arms as she says herself,
'With this alphabet of drawings, I want to celebrate the extraordinary variety of wildlife that lives alongside us; but I also want to highlight what we are losing and for you to look at these animals and ask yourselves, can we really allow this to happen?'
She has partnered with The Whitley Fund for Nature and for every book sold money will go directly to conservation projects in the field.
"There are innumerable journals, field guides and encyclopaedias, detailing every aspect of the lives of wild creatures. But few books, if any, so accurately convey the feeling of being in the presence of amazing animals. Within the pages of Corcorans Alphabet of Animals there are beautifully poingnant illustrations and emotive words that not only make the reader think, but also feel. From A to Z, this book celebrates the simple joy in the complexity of nature."
Gordon Buchanan MBE wildlife filmmaker and presenter
‘Rose Corcoran’s work is breathtaking…It captures the very essence of wild animals from their immense strength and power to their elegance and fluidity. I have watched Rose at work in India with wild Tigers for more than 20 years and seen her work in Africa. The results of her field visits have created stunning and spectacular portraiture of an array of wild animals’
Valmik Thapar, Natural Historian, filmmaker, author and leading expert on Tiger conservation
