Haunted by the last tide: The SWLA in the Danish Wadden Sea

The result of two two-week trips by 19 artists, all members of the Society of Wildlife Artists (SWLA), this beautiful book documents the birds and landscapes of Denmark’s Waden Sea National Park. While the artistic styles vary, from pencil and watercolour to oil and scrap metal sculpture, the similarities of tones used – drawn from the places visited – create a unifying vision of the area’s rich wildlife and haunting presence. As powerful as the images is the richly woven text by Colin Williams, touching on the poetic at times in the way that it allows the reader to share the writer’s eye, rather than simply recounting an experience. For the most part the artworks cover species that will be familiar to UK readers, underlining that many of the birds that use the Wadden Sea – think wildfowl and waders – also haunt our shores. As you might expect from a book put together by Nye Hughes – the quietly creative designer – the layout flows gracefully, the respectful space around text and artworks helping to create a book that is deeply reflective and resonant in its sense of place.

Book reviewed by Mike Toms