"Victoria resident Fenwick Lansdowne is one of the world's most outstanding painters of birds. Fenwick's paintings have drawn acclaim around the world since his first exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum almost 50 years ago. He has since exhibited internationally, including the Tryon Gallery, London, the Natural History Museum, Beijing, and the Smithsonian, Audubon House and Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in the USA. Fenwick is perhaps best known to the general public for his 5 volume large format series of books containing his representations of many of the birds of Canada, and for his series "Rare Birds of China", a decade long project in which Fenwick recorded that country's bird species most threatened by environmental hazards and habitat loss.
"In the introduction to one of Fenwick's works, "Birds of the West Coast, Volume 2", His Royal Highness Prince Philip states:
"Any bird-wathcer knows that magic moment when a long sought bird is finally seen in its characteristic setting. In certain rare cases the moment is made indelible by the particular qualities of the light, the background and the circumstances. Fenwick Lansdowne has the exceptional ability to capture such moments with a seemingly effortless assurance but which can only come from intimate knowledge, immense care and remarkable talent."
"It is a pleasure for the Rocky Point Bird Observatory
to have Fenwick Lansdowne as our Honourary President."
