Katrina van Grouw

Last updated

Katrina van Grouw
Katrina van Grouw.jpg
van Grouw in 2012
Born1965 (age 5859)
NationalityBritish
EducationRoyal College of Art
Website http://unfeatheredbird.com
Front cover of the book The Unfeathered Bird by Katrina van Grouw. The Unfeathered Bird 2.jpg
Front cover of the book The Unfeathered Bird by Katrina van Grouw.

Katrina van Grouw (born 1965) is a British science author, illustrator and fine artist, best known for her illustrated natural science books The Unfeathered Bird and Unnatural Selection [1] published by Princeton University Press. She has degrees in Fine Art and Natural History Illustration. [2] Van Grouw is a self-taught ornithologist [3] with an interest in comparative anatomy, evolution, and the history of the natural sciences.

Contents

Early life and education

Katrina van Grouw was born in Pontypool, South Wales in 1965, adopted, and raised as Katrina Cook in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. (She became known by her current name after her marriage to Hein van Grouw, in 2009. [4] ) Van Grouw states that her prodigious drawing ability led to artistic hothousing during her school education which compromised her academic achievements. [5]

She gained a BA in Fine Art, specialising in printmaking, from the University of Plymouth (at that time Exeter College of Art and Design) in 1990, and an MA in Natural History Illustration from the Royal College of Art in 1992 with a research thesis on bird anatomy.

Fine art

In 1993, van Grouw moved to a cottage in rural Devon and began her career as a self-employed fine artist, specialising in large scale drypoints—a form of intaglio printmaking—of natural history subjects. She also taught adult education classes in drypoint, and lectured in printmaking and illustration to undergraduate students at the University of Plymouth, Chelsea College of Art and Design, and Falmouth College of Art and Design. She was an elected member of the Society of Wildlife Artists, held numerous open and solo exhibitions, and won several awards including the Birdwatch Artist of the Year Award in 1997 (black and white section) and 1998 (overall winner), the Wildlife Art Gallery Award in 1993 and 1996, and the PJC Drawing Award in 2014. [6] From 1996 her subject matter and preferred medium changed to large graphite drawings of geological formations.

Fine art was put aside during the final push to write and illustrate The Unfeathered Bird, and after its completion van Grouw found that producing illustrated books now "ticked all creative and intellectual boxes". [7]

History of natural history illustration

The title page from Unnatural Selection by Katrina van Grouw. The image, showing the progressive changes in posture to create the Indian Runner Duck from its wild ancestor, is called 'The Ascent of Mallard'. Unnatural Selection title page.jpg
The title page from Unnatural Selection by Katrina van Grouw. The image, showing the progressive changes in posture to create the Indian Runner Duck from its wild ancestor, is called 'The Ascent of Mallard'.

During her education Katrina van Grouw developed a specialist interest in historical illustrated natural history publications and the printing techniques used to create them. John James Audubon's The Birds of America , Robert John Thornton's Temple of Flora, George Stubbs' The Anatomy of the Horse, and the printing by Alecto Historical Editions of Banks' Florilegium in the 1980s were particularly influential.

Van Grouw has continued to write, consult, give talks and demonstrations, and national media broadcasts about historical natural history art. Projects have included selecting images and writing text for the British Library's Turning the Pages virtual book of Audubon's The Birds of America; [8] appearing in Episode 1 of the BBC TV program The Secret of Drawing [9] [10] in 2005 hosted by Andrew Graham Dixon (again talking about The Birds of America); and demonstrating intaglio printing in a short film about Sydney Parkinson, the artist on James Cook's HMSEndeavour voyage, for the British Natural History Museum. [11] She was a freelance consultant for the Natural History Museum's 2011 edition of The Birds of America and fact checker for Birds: The Art of Ornithology (and Great Birds of Britain and Europe) by Jonathan Elphick. Van Grouw regularly carries out identifications of birds depicted in historic Indian and Islamic paintings for Simon Ray and other London auction houses, and writes accompanying text for their sales catalogues. She has given frequent talks about printing techniques and their history in natural history publications at the Natural History Museum's libraries including the Rothschild Library at Tring and Rare Books Room at the NHM South Kensington, London.

In 2007, van Grouw was commissioned by Quercus to author Birds [12] an illustrated history of birds in art, choosing to focus on the biographies of the artists and the stories surrounding the creation and publication of their works. She also sourced the images and drew up the preliminary designs for the book. [13]

Ornithology

Katrina van Grouw has been passionate about natural history and a keen birdwatcher throughout her life. She qualified as a bird ringer in the 1990s and took part in several long-term ringing expeditions in Africa, South America and the Shetland Islands, She was employed as resident bird ringer at Rutland Water Nature Reserve in 1998.

Her interest in the preparation of museum specimens began as a young child. As an undergraduate student she taught herself to prepare bird study skins, and to clean and assemble skeletons. During this time she formulated her plans to produce The Unfeathered Bird, initially intended as an anatomy guide specifically for artists.

Her preparation skills and knowledge of birds led to her employment as a curator of the ornithological research collections (Bird Group) at the British Natural History Museum [14] in 2003, initially full-time and then in a job-share arrangement with her husband, the Dutch ornithologist and bird breeder Hein van Grouw. [15] Van Grouw states that she was prohibited by a senior manager from undertaking spare time commercial writing or illustration projects, which led to her resignation in 2010 in order to pursue her long-term ambition to create The Unfeathered Bird, [16] [17] "leaving [her] utterly broken". [18] Her husband remained at the museum in her place.

The Unfeathered Bird

The Unfeathered Bird was published in 2013 - twenty five years after its conception. [19] Originally intended to be an anatomy resource for artists, van Grouw was determined that it should accessible to a wide audience with interdisciplinary interests, and spent years seeking a suitable publisher that would allow her vision to be brought to life. [20]

A double page spread from Unnatural Selection showing a domesticated pouter pigeon with its crop inflated in its courtship posture. According to the author's autobiographical public lecture A Very Fine Swan Indeed: Art, Science and 'The Unfeathered Bird', the musculature drawing was achieved by inserting a condom into the throat of the dead pigeon and blowing into it! A page spread from Unnatural Selection.jpg
A double page spread from Unnatural Selection showing a domesticated pouter pigeon with its crop inflated in its courtship posture. According to the author's autobiographical public lecture A Very Fine Swan Indeed: Art, Science and 'The Unfeathered Bird', the musculature drawing was achieved by inserting a condom into the throat of the dead pigeon and blowing into it!

According to the author's autobiographic account given in her public lecture, A Very Fine Swan Indeed: Art, Science, and 'The Unfeathered Bird', her successful relationship with Princeton University Press began in 2010 with a chance meeting with the publishers' Executive Editor Robert Kirk in a pub during the British Birdwatching Fair.

One remarkable feature of the book is that it shows skeletons in animated postures as though they were alive and engaged in natural activities. The majority of the illustrations were drawn from skeletons that were cleaned and assembled by her husband at their home, leaving Katrina van Grouw free to concentrate on the illustrations and text. In the book's acknowledgments the author states, "no bird was harmed during the making of this book" before going on to give an exhaustive list of people who donated dead specimens which had died of natural causes, and of museum collections used.

The Unfeathered Bird was received with worldwide critical acclaim from art and science communities alike. [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27]

It's dedicated "To Amy" which was the name given to the Mallard skeleton van Grouw cleaned and assembled in 1987 and which sparked off the initial idea for The Unfeathered Bird, leading one reviewer to describe it as "undoubtedly the best ever book to be inspired by a dead duck". [28]

A second and greatly expanded edition of The Unfeathered Bird is currently in production. [29]

Unnatural Selection

The publication of Unnatural Selection in 2018 was timed to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Variation of Animals and Plants Under Domestication , by Charles Darwin. [30] In the book's acknowledgments the author states that it was produced to thank her husband, Hein van Grouw "a domesticated animal nerd", for his help preparing the skeletons for The Unfeathered Bird, combining his knowledge of selective breeding with her own interest in evolutionary biology. The dedication in the book reads, "To Husband, Naturally" and Hein van Grouw is referred to throughout the book simply as 'Husband'.

It was published by Princeton University Press, once again, and the size and format is consistent with The Unfeathered Bird. In addition to the 80,000+ words of text, the book contains 425 illustrations by the author, who was also responsible for the design and layout of the entire book. [31] It took six years to produce.

List of published works

Books

Author, Illustrator, and Designer

Author

Illustrator

Illustrations appearing in other publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pallas's sandgrouse</span> Species of bird

Pallas's sandgrouse is a medium to large bird in the sandgrouse family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White swamphen</span> Extinct species of rail from Lord Howe Island

The white swamphen, also known as the Lord Howe swamphen, Lord Howe gallinule or white gallinule, is an extinct species of rail which lived on Lord Howe Island, east of Australia. It was first encountered when the crews of British ships visited the island between 1788 and 1790, and all contemporary accounts and illustrations were produced during this time. Today, two skins exist: the holotype in the Natural History Museum of Vienna, and another in Liverpool's World Museum. Although historical confusion has existed about the provenance of the specimens and the classification and anatomy of the bird, it is now thought to have been a distinct species endemic to Lord Howe Island and most similar to the Australasian swamphen. Subfossil bones have also been discovered since.

Robert 'Rob' Hume is an English ornithologist, author and journalist specialising in avian and natural history subjects. From Spring 1989, until Summer 2009, he was editor of the RSPB's award-winning Birds magazine, having previously edited the young people's award-winning version, Bird Life, at the RSPB's headquarters, The Lodge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tibetan sandgrouse</span> Species of bird

The Tibetan sandgrouse is a large bird in the sandgrouse family. The genus name Syrrhaptes is from Ancient Greek surrhaptos, "sewn together" and tibetanus is from the type locality, Tibet.

<i>Syrrhaptes</i> Genus of birds

Syrrhaptes is a genus of birds in the sandgrouse family. The genus name is from Ancient Greek surrhaptos, "sewn together"; the feathered toes of birds in this genus are fused together.

Unnatural Selection may refer to:

Terry Tempest Williams, is an American writer, educator, conservationist, and activist. Williams' writing is rooted in the American West and has been significantly influenced by the arid landscape of Utah. Her work focuses on social and environmental justice ranging from issues of ecology and the protection of public lands and wildness, to women's health, to exploring humanity's relationship to culture and nature. She writes in the genre of creative nonfiction and the lyrical essay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spotted green pigeon</span> Extinct species of bird

The spotted green pigeon or Liverpool pigeon is a species of pigeon which is most likely extinct. It was first mentioned and described in 1783 by John Latham, who had seen two specimens of unknown provenance and a drawing depicting the bird. The taxonomic relationships of the bird were long obscure, and early writers suggested many different possibilities, though the idea that it was related to the Nicobar pigeon prevailed, and it was therefore placed in the same genus, Caloenas. Today, the species is only known from a specimen kept in World Museum, Liverpool. Overlooked for much of the 20th century, it was recognised as a valid extinct species by the IUCN Red List only in 2008. It may have been native to an island somewhere in the South Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean, and it has been suggested that a bird referred to as titi by Tahitian islanders was this bird. In 2014, a genetic study confirmed it as a distinct species related to the Nicobar pigeon, and showed that the two were the closest relatives of the extinct dodo and Rodrigues solitaire.

<i>Historia animalium</i> (Gessner book) 16th century book by Conrad Gessner

Historia animalium, published in Zurich in 1551–1558 and 1587, is an encyclopedic "inventory of renaissance zoology" by Conrad Gessner (1516–1565). Gessner was a medical doctor and professor at the Carolinum in Zürich, the precursor of the University of Zurich. The Historia animalium, after Aristotle's work of the same name, is the first modern zoological work that attempts to describe all the animals known, and the first bibliography of natural history writings. The five volumes of natural history of animals cover more than 4500 pages. The animals are presented in alphabetical order, marking the change from Middle Ages encyclopedias, or "mirrors" to a modern view of a consultation work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paleoart</span> Art genre attempting to depict prehistoric life according to scientific evidence

Paleoart is any original artistic work that attempts to depict prehistoric life according to scientific evidence. Works of paleoart may be representations of fossil remains or imagined depictions of the living creatures and their ecosystems. While paleoart is typically defined as being scientifically informed, it is often the basis of depictions of prehistoric animals in popular culture, which in turn influences public perception of and fuels interest in these organisms. The word paleoart is also used in an informal sense as a name for prehistoric art, most often cave paintings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astrapian sicklebill</span> Hybrid bird

The astrapian sicklebill, also known as the green-breasted riflebird, is a bird in the Paradisaeidae family that was proposed by Erwin Stresemann to be an intergeneric hybrid between an Arfak astrapia and black sicklebill, an identity since confirmed by DNA analysis.

Sharpe's lobe-billed parotia, also known as Sharpe's lobe-billed riflebird, is a bird in the family Paradisaeidae that Erwin Stresemann proposed is an intergeneric hybrid between a long-tailed paradigalla and western parotia, an identity confirmed by DNA analysis.

Ruys's bird-of-paradise is a bird in the family Paradisaeidae that is presumed to be an intergeneric hybrid between a magnificent bird-of-paradise and lesser bird-of-paradise, an identity since confirmed by DNA analysis.

Derek Robertson RSW SSA SAA is a Scottish artist. One of the signature members of the Society of Animal Artists, he is known for his paintings of wildlife and landscapes, and for his poetic narrative work consisting of paintings, constructions and installations. He has been elected several times on the Council of the RSW and has written and presented 5 television programs about his work and the wildlife he portrays and has written 5 books about his art: The Mugdrum, Highland Sketchbook, A Studio Under The Sky, Otters, An Artist's Sketchbook, "Living Landscapes" and Puffins: An Artist's Sketchbook. His work has also illustrated many other publications.

Sangeetha Kadur is an Indian artist from Bangalore, India. Her illustrations have been published in several field guides, wildlife books and magazines. The Hummingbird book, for Gorgas Science Foundation for which she has contributed artworks, has been acclaimed worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark P. Witton</span> British palaeontologist, author and palaeoartist

Mark Paul Witton is a British vertebrate palaeontologist, author, and palaeoartist best known for his research and illustrations concerning pterosaurs, the extinct flying reptiles that lived alongside dinosaurs. He has worked with museums and universities around the world to reconstruct extinct animals, including as consultant to the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs franchise, Planet Dinosaur, and Prehistoric Planet, and has published several critically acclaimed books on palaeontology and palaeoart.

<i>A History of the Birds of Europe</i> Nine-volume, late 19th century book about the history of European birds

A History of the Birds of Europe, Including all the Species Inhabiting the Western Palearctic Region is a nine-volume ornithological book published in parts between 1871 and 1896. It was mainly written by Henry Eeles Dresser, although Richard Bowdler Sharpe co-authored the earlier volumes. It describes all the bird species reliably recorded in the wild in Europe and adjacent geographical areas with similar fauna, giving their worldwide distribution, variations in appearance and migratory movements.

Kathleen Irene Blundell née Nixon who signed as Kay Nixon was an English wildlife artist and illustrator of books including those of Enid Blyton. She also wrote and illustrated a series of books for children.

Julie Zickefoose is an American nature book writer, biologist, bird artist, and blogger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Damrosch Tee-Van</span> 20th century German-American scientific illustrator

Helen Damrosch Tee-Van was a German-American illustrator best known for her precise scientific illustrations. She participated in 13 international expeditions with the New York Zoological Society between 1922 and 1963 to document new species.

References

  1. "Books by Katrina van Grouw - Book". unfeatheredbird.com. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  2. "Books by Katrina van Grouw - View Book". unfeatheredbird.com. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  3. Witton, Mark (23 October 2018). "Mark Witton.com Blog: An interview with Katrina van Grouw, author and artist of The Unfeathered Bird and Unnatural Selection". Mark Witton.com Blog. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  4. "Books by Katrina van Grouw - About". unfeatheredbird.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  5. Author, P. U. P. (8 March 2018). "Katrina van Grouw on the difficulty of answering a simple question". Princeton University Press Blog. Retrieved 3 May 2019.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. "Society of Wildlife Artists Prize Winners". Mall Galleries. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  7. "From Art to Zoology: A Story of Evolution | AMI 2018 Meeting". meetings.ami.org. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  8. "Turning the Pages™ - British Library". www.bl.uk. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  9. David Surman (11 May 2014), "The Secret of Drawing" Episode 1: "The Line of Enquiry" 2005 , retrieved 8 May 2019
  10. "ITP 209: Violet Green Swallows and Bank Swallows by James John Audubon | Andrew Graham-Dixon". AndrewGraham-Dixon.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  11. Natural History Museum (30 March 2011), Sydney Parkinson and metal-plate engraving | Natural History Museum , retrieved 8 May 2019
  12. Cook, Katrina (21 January 2019). Birds. ISBN   9781847241993.
  13. "Books by Katrina van Grouw - View Book". unfeatheredbird.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  14. Leon, Author (19 September 2018). "Unnatural Selection: An interview with Katrina van Grouw". Hoopoe - A blog by nhbs. Retrieved 3 May 2019.{{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  15. "Hein Van Grouw | Natural History Museum". www.nhm.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  16. Author, P. U. P. (8 March 2018). "Katrina van Grouw on the difficulty of answering a simple question". Princeton University Press Blog. Retrieved 3 May 2019.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  17. "Books by Katrina van Grouw - About". unfeatheredbird.com. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  18. Author, P. U. P. (8 March 2018). "Katrina van Grouw on the difficulty of answering a simple question". Princeton University Press Blog. Retrieved 8 May 2019.{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  19. "Books by Katrina van Grouw - View Book". unfeatheredbird.com. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  20. "Books by Katrina van Grouw - View Book". unfeatheredbird.com. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  21. "The Unfeathered Bird". RSB. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  22. "Book Review: Unfeathered Birds". gnsi.memberclicks.net. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  23. "Book Review: The Unfeathered Bird, by Katrina von Grouw". All About Birds. 15 April 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  24. Lindo, David (23 September 2013). "The Unfeathered Bird - a review". The Urban Birder. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  25. Timwootton (19 December 2013). "Tim Wootton Wildlife Art: Book Review - The Unfeathered Bird". Tim Wootton Wildlife Art. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  26. "Birds of an Unfeather Are So Clever: A Review". What's In John's Freezer?. 12 April 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  27. Gorman, James (11 February 2013). "Flights of Winged Majesty". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  28. Vincent, Marc (19 March 2013). "Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs: The Unfeathered Bird - today's dinosaurs, undressed". Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  29. Witton, Mark (23 October 2018). "Mark Witton.com Blog: An interview with Katrina van Grouw, author and artist of The Unfeathered Bird and Unnatural Selection". Mark Witton.com Blog. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  30. Grouw, Katrina van (27 June 2023). Unnatural Selection. Princeton University Press. ISBN   9780691254050 . Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  31. Witton, Mark (23 October 2018). "Mark Witton.com Blog: An interview with Katrina van Grouw, author and artist of The Unfeathered Bird and Unnatural Selection". Mark Witton.com Blog. Retrieved 7 June 2019.