Charles Tunnicliffe was an internationally renowned naturalistic painter of birds and wildlife who spend most of his working ife on Anglesey.
History
Charles Tunnicliffe was born in 1901 in Langley, Cheshire and he spent his early years living on a farm in the Macclesfield area. As a young man he won a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in London. In 1947 he moved from Manchester to a cottage called Shorelands on the estuary of the Afon Cefni on Anglesey. He died in 1979 at Shorelands
Work
Much of the work of Charles Tunnicliffe was of birds in their natural settings and other naturalistic scenes. His work was used to ilustrate Brooke Bondtea cards and as a result his work was seen by millions of young people in the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s. He also illustrated a number of books including the Ladybird Books. His work was characterised by its precision and accuracy but also the way that he was able to portray birds as they were seen in nature rather than as stiff scientic studies.
At his death, much of his personal collection of work was bequeathed to Anglesey council on the condition that it was housed together and made available for pubic viewing. This body of work can now be seen at Oriel Mon near Llangefni on Anglesey
When Charles first arrived, 'London was shimmering under a haze of fine weather that had outstayed its welcome.' The grass in the parks crumbled under his feet, and with the pungent smell of petrol and tar he longed for the fresh pastures of home.
Tunnicliffe and his friend, Wack were often thrilled to catch sight of the harriers flying across the cob to hunt the marsh near Bont Farm.
Tunnicliffe felt that at each stage of a painting's development a degree of 'life and spontaneity' was lost.
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