An exhibition of 50 paintings comparing the two oceans by Nicholas Romeril Thomas Dutoit Galerie, Suhrenmattstrasse 2, Unterentfelden, Switzerland. +41(0)62 723 41 32 [email protected] 4th May – 30 May

Nicholas Romeril has taken part in several Artist in Residence (AiR) programs over the last several years.

Antarctica with the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute

In January 2018 Romeril was AiR was with the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute (Cambridge University) where Romeril ventured down to the Antarctic on board the HMS Protector (Royal Navy) for a 6 week expedition.  During this trip he travelled to 15 special interest sites and covered over 3500 miles. He produced over 200 drawings and paintings, a diary of the journey and 3 virtual reality films. The resulting body of work was exhibited in Jersey, London, Switzerland and Ireland over 7 solo exhibitions.

https://www.nicholasromeril.com/exhibition/breaking-ice/

WildLife Act

Since 2022, Nicholas Romeril has been the AiR with Wildlife Act, an NGO working in South Africa and the North Island, Seychelles, supporting the ecologists to protect endangered species.

South Africa

The first AiR was based in several of WildLife Acts projects in the South Africa game reserves of Hluhluwe Imfolozi and the Drakensberg Mountains. He spent 6 weeks with conservation professionals recording, tracking and helping WildLife Act monitor key species such as the African Painted Wild Dogs, Black and White Rhino, Hyena, and all species of Vulture.

He created sketchbooks, 39 ‘field paintings’ in the bush (not exhibited as yet) and a virtual reality film.

“I knew I would engage with the landscape when I returned to my home studio. However, I was not comfortable placing the animals “on show”. They are elusive, shy, and hard to see in the scrubby bush. After several months of painting the landscape, I began to feel that something was missing, so one day, I decided to paint a life-sized rhino.

I worked quickly in black and white. Colour is an emotive distraction, I wanted to simply capture the animal’s majesty, energy and power.”

He created an exhibition of landscape paintings and life sized portraits of the iconic animals he encountered. This work has been shown at the ‘Eyes on Us’ exhibition in Jersey.

https://www.nicholasromeril.com/exhibition/eyesonus/

Seychelles, North Island.

In January 2023, Romeril was invited again by WildLife Act to be the AiR at their Seychelle project. He spent 4 weeks on North Island. This privately owned island has high-end tourist lodges as well as an established conservation project. The conservation objectives are to monitor the Hawksbill and Green turtle nesting and hatching, beach comb for sea waste and record and log what is found, eradicate invasive species, nurture the giant tortoise population and record fish species.

Romeril created sketchbooks, shot virtual reality films, created ‘field paintings’ and helped as a volunteer on the project.

‘I have been working to capture the different colours and feelings of the two seas. The Indian Ocean have a turquoise which is not found in the Atlantic. The waves seem to be shorter and break more evenly while the seas around my home are bottle green and break chaotically. Both are beautiful and full of energy.”

North Island was the first Seychelles Island on which a recorded landing was made by sea farers in 1609. They predated the giant tortoise population so by the 19 century only three giant tortoises were left, Harry, Patrick and Brutus. Through conservation projects they now safely roam the island with another 150 giant tortoises in a prefect sanatory. The island has eradicated many invasive spieces such as rats, cats, pigs, barn owls and coconut trees.

This exhibition is the celebration combines his experiences while on North Island during the AiR and his love for the North East Atlantic sea.