The Primeval Clevedon Bay by Bob Nicholls.
The Palaeontographical Society
17 April, 2024The Palaeontographical Society is the oldest society devoted to the advancement of palaeontological knowledge, having been established in 1847. They are a membership organisation and have a strong focus on UK palaeontology and describing the fossil fauna and flora of the British Isles.
In 2023, the MCT began it’s partnership with the Palaeontographical Society where we launched our very first Award to recognise talent in the depiction of fossil fauna and flora from the British Isles. The Award recognises the best piece of palaeontological artwork produced in the last year in association with a publication, press release, scientific paper or the promotion of palaeontology in the UK.
The inaugural winner of the Marsh Palaeoart Award is The Primeval Clevedon Bay by Bob Nicholls.
Bob’s work is a digital painting depicting the marine environment of Clevedon Bay (Somerset, England) during the Early Carboniferous Period. It is one of three paintings commissioned by Professor Sir Stephen Sparks and the Clevedon Pier & Heritage Trust to illustrate the ancient environments preserved in the Clevedon Bay geology. The painting is exhibited on a large graphic board overlooking Clevedon Bay. This piece has a wonderful balance of being a bustling scene, full of life, without feeling staged or overcrowded. There is attention to detail in every organism, even those classically overlooked in palaeoartistic reconstructions.
The Award also recognised two Highly Commended winners. This year’s Highly Commended winners are Matt Humpage, Asteroxylon mackiei and Julia d’Oliveira, Turnersuchus: The Crocodile in the Sea of Belemnites.
To read more about this year’s overall winner and highly commended winners, please visit the PalSoc website: https://www.palaeosoc.org/latest-news/marsh-palaeoart-award-winners-announced/
Here you can find the in depth descriptions of our winning artist’s work, comments from the judges, and from the artist’s themselves.
The Award was presented at PalSoc’s AGM on 16th April 2024, in Glasgow.
