06 Feb 07

An exhibition of 35 watercolours by the artist Robin Schiele is on display at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. 'Moments in the lives of neotropical birds' focuses on threatened species from the Columbian Andes and a third of total sales will be donated to the conservation work of the Bogotá Ornithological Association.

The artist uses a mixed dry-wet brush technique, giving his portraits a special sharpness that is difficult to achieve with watercolours. He paints his subjects life-size, focusing on behavioural aspects as well as the appropriate settings for each species. His work is the result of a close study of the birds in the wild. The exhibition is supported by the Biological Research Institute 'Alexander von Humboldt', which is a research institute affiliated to the Ministry of the Environment responsible for scientific and applied research of natural resources in continental Colombia.

Robin Schiele, a Guatemalan artist born in Nicaragua, was educated in Oxford. He has dedicated most of his work to the study and portraiture of endangered species in Central and South American tropical forests.

The Bogotá Ornithological Association is a not-for-profit organisation working for bird conservation. It was founded in 1989 by 17 ornithologists and birdwatchers and was registered as an NGO in 1994. The Association's main aims are to carry out research, education, and awareness-raising activities aimed at conserving birds and their habitats.

The exhibition will run from 1 February until 31 March 2007.