We lost Ian Bullock this year, a good friend who was taken far too soon and is very sorely missed by us and by many; and a wonderful artist who contributed to our gallery here at Rookwood. Sincere condolences to his wife Gill and daughter Heulwen and his many friends.
We will be showing one of his beautiful original charts at our Springtime exhibition at Rookwood and we will maintain a virtual exhibition of his artworks that we have scanned for printing to celebrate and preserve his legacy of contributions to conservation.
I first met Ian and Gill on a trip back from South Africa while Ian was still RSPB warden on Ramsey but I have really got to know him making prints of his wonderful artwork and we found we had a lot in common in the course of many long conversations about birds and conservation of the natural world, amongst many other topics.
Apparently ever since Ian could reach above the skirting board he was drawing on walls and any surface he could utilise. Nothing made him happier than gazing at wildlife, observing, with a pencil in hand, something I could relate to.
I thought I knew Ian pretty well but every day it seemed there was some new facet to his life to discover. Latterly I was lucky to be shown the book he co-authored and illustrated ‘Birds of the Seychelles’ (Princeton). Ian pulled it down from his very well booked study shelf and we poured over it and I also noticed all the beautifully kept biological notes and observations all around from years of excellent field work.
Even though Ian was very unwell at this stage it did not stop him enthusing and exclaiming ‘Woww, what a bird!!’ as we discussed a species we had both been lucky to see. An indomitable spirit and a deep passion. I was really astonished to see his immaculate studies of Seychelles, wildlife and people in his sketchbooks with crisp clean colours and amazing detail. I realised that Ian had been doing these at the same time I was doing something quite similar in the Karoo.
Ian had a fascination with life which he loved to share with anyone interested and I think this quality, along with his humour and generosity, is why he was such a good teacher. Many young kids in East Africa and many budding birders and conservationists closer to home benefited from him greatly.
This also made Ian a sought-after guide to have on a natural history tour, especially cruises with Linblad Explorer & Noble Caledonia. His knowledge on natural history was very wide so he could share this expertise literally anywhere on the planet including some of its most remote places. Here, he really did look the part of biologist explorer, Shackleton style. I have had the pleasure of printing for Ian and his commissioners’ charts of the British Isles, Svaalbad, Iceland, Greenland and the Candian Arctic circle, Patagonia, Falklands & Antarctica, the Kimberley Coast of Australia. These charts are great examples of his beautiful artwork.
Patagonia Chart by Ian Bullock
During his time on expedition voyages Ian noticed that fellow travellers were confused by the plethora of creatures in the average field guide. To simplify these, he took to producing simple sheets with the most common creatures on one page. These are his identification sheets. Latterly he was commissioned to paint detailed portraits of some of the more charismatic birds. Ian’s role as shipboard guide culminated in requests for painted expedition maps illustrating the wildlife of different destinations. For those who travelled with Ian, he would personalize the charts with their itinerary, dates and locations and what they saw there, as a beautifully illustrated memento of an exciting adventure.
Ian’s inspiration for illustrating birds had been Charles Tunnicliffe. At the age of 19 he worked out where Tunnicliffe’s house was on Anglesey, so that he could shyly knock on his door and tell him how much he admired the paintings.
Ian’s attention to detail, and getting the colours spot on was amazing. At times it took a few proofs to get the print to show the vibrancy of the painted colours. I particularly like his charts that are done on blue backgrounds which make his colours sing.
Being a mapper myself, I offered Ian the possibility of printing all those detailed contours onto a background sheet which he could then paint the wildlife over. But no, he said he enjoyed doing the contours and I can recall the same satisfaction drawing in decorative details, getting lost in time, to produce a wonderful end-result.
Mandy and I enjoyed a great evening with Ian and Gill and friends not too long ago. It was a Robbie Burns night and we had Haggis and scotch and many laughs! Delicious! and a Wassail celebration under the apple tree in the orchard. The songs and poetry recited by Ian showed yet more of his many facets. His story-telling must have captivated many kids.
The extraordinary thing about Ian was he was so modest – but he had no right to be! He comes from a very talented family. I scanned two amazing elongated Animals of the Ark paintings by his great grandfather Arthur Drummond, from about 1900, that he had done for his daughters, Ian’s grandmother Brownie! Showing pairs of all manner of creatures. Ian also has a very talented and charismatic Uncle Doig who we have had the pleasure of meeting. Doig was an innovative medical illustrator at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London, as well as in Ibadan, Nigeria (amongst several other unusual things!). At age 96 he continues to produce stunning abstract digital artworks on his ipad which we have printed for him to enter into the Royal Academy submissions.
Animals of the Ark by Arthur Drummond, Ian’s great grandfather circa 1900
Ian should also not be modest about his conservation achievements spanning his life. Beginning with his Zoology degree at Bangor, Ian worked tirelessly to monitor and preserve bird populations especially on the wild sea coasts in the Seychelles and later for the RSPB. Before Ian got to Ramsey the island was plagued with rats which had eradicated most of the seabird populations. Ian’s work to remove rats and allow the seabirds to come back and nest on this magnificent island is a great conservation achievement.
While monitoring the Choughs near Caerbwdi, Gill recounts how the Choughs would circle back each time to greet Ian. He told me once that he would call to the Ravens and they would call back and he was sure that they knew him. I am sure that they did and I am sure they remember him well.
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His piece “Wildlife of the British Isles” is currently available as an original, as well as limited edition prints. We are busy uploading some 30 of Ian’s artworks to the website (artists > Ian Bullock)
Gill will hold a more extensive exhibition of Ian’s original artworks at Oriel y Parc in St Davids early in 2026, tbc.
A portion of proceeds from any sales will be directed by his wife Gill to one of two charities: Fauna & Flora International; and Island Conservation Society UK (representing Seychelles and related islands). Noble Caledonia are also producing limited edition prints of Ian’s Puffins & Arctic Seabirds to raise funds for Skomer Island.