Part autobiography and part exploration of technical method, Birds and Light is an extraordinary and authoritative retrospective of Jonsson's career. It is also a celebration of birds, wildlife, and wild places.
Jonsson talks of a life's work studying and capturing the relationship between birds and light. Superbly reproduced artwork appears throughout the book, including pages from Jonsson's earliest sketchbooks, finished plates from his field guides, and some of the artist's majestic full-scale canvases, presented at various stages of development. Jonsson discusses the artistic process, from the importance of sketching from life, to the discipline of painting for field guides and the ability to express subtlety of environment and atmosphere in paint.
No other artist captures the "feel" of a bird so perfectly. Jonsson's exceptionally accurate and expressive style reflects a combination of talent and countless hours in the field. His career as a premier bird artist, and as a globally renowned ornithologist, was first consolidated in the 1970s with his series of enormously popular pocket guides to European birds grouped by habitat, which broke new ground with its remarkable illustrations. His field guide Birds of Europe, published in 1992, exquisitely demonstrated his ability to depict with great accuracy the detail of plumage and posture that enables birders to distinguish between similar species.
Jonsson's thoughts on wildlife artistry, and his engaging account of his own career, make Birds and Light a fascinating read for all those interested in birds, birdwatching, and bird art. And the sumptuous illustrations, many published here for the first time, make this magnificent book something to be treasured forever.
