Birdwatch/Swarovski Artist of the year 2012!

Di ritorno dalla mostra "The Natural Eye" alla Mall Galleries di Londra con una bellissima sorpresa: il mio quadro "Black Grouse display" ha vinto il prestigioso Premio "Birdwatch Artist of the year 2012" in collaborazione con Swarovski Optic, forse il più importante riconoscimento nella Birding Art in Inghilterra.
E, a conclusione di quella che si è rivelata una giornata straordinaria, sono stato anche eletto Full Member della Society of Wildlife Artist! 

"For its 17th year, Birdwatch's annual art award was held in London this month, with the first prize going to an outstandingly talented Italian bird painter.

Birdwatch was proud to host its Birdwatch Artist of the Year award at the Mall Galleries in London's Borough of Westminster, in association with Swarovski Optik. The presentation of the award went hand-in-hand with the launch of the 49th Society for Wildlife Artists' (SWLA) The Natural Eye exhibition, displaying a breathtaking array of artistic endeavour from all over Britain and around the world.

The outright winner was Italian bird painter Federico Gemma, whose atmospheric Black Grouse display, Finland stood out for its combination of observational accuracy, frozen action and artistic flair in its use of light and space. He won optical equipment from Swarovski Optik.

By the time BBC wildlife television presenter Mike Dilger made his opening speech, a capacity crowd had already heard wildlife sculptor and SWLA president Harriet Mead sum up the excellence of this year's entries. An audience of leading lights from the worlds of birding, conservation and wildlife art discussed the sheer breadth of paintings, drawings, linocuts, sculptures and collages on show, the majority representing birds.

Federico described his methods to Birdwatch, and further coverage of the awards and other prizewinners can be seen in the December issue, on sale from the usual outlets on Thursday 22 November."