Preeminent natural history illustrator PETER BURKE has been a student of the works of many master bird artists.
Peter started bird watching nearly forty years ago.
He attended the University of Guelph (1986-1990) where he trained in the Fine Arts program while obtaining a B.Sc. in Biological Sciences. He works as a biological consultant and an illustrator and a birding guide.
Drawing and painting birds and dragonflies has provided the most accessible way for Peter to show his interest in the natural world and it is a personal record of what he has come to understand. Much of his work has been intended for educational materials, such as bird and insect field guides. The process of visually understanding as much of the organism as he can has given him a sharpened sense of what separates one kind from another, be it by age, gender or regional differences. It also helps to remind him of the beauty each species possesses, especially those we see every day.
While studying at University of Guelph, he chanced to meet Alvaro Jaramillo, a birding fellow from Chile. Their friendship has led to many collaborative efforts.
In addition to working as an illustrator on many field guides, Peter has co-authored various articles on bird identification and biology and served as chair on the Ontario Bird Records Committee. Peter has birded extensively throughout Ontario and has traveled abroad for many of those years looking at and studying birds.
The Presentation:
Peter will show us how birding field guides are illustrated, using his own research and drawings on the Field Guide to the Birds of Chile to provide examples.