'Drawn to Water' art competition winners announced

Wednesday 31st January 2024


Throughout his life Quentin Blake has been inspired by wetlands, and over the last few months the Quentin Blake - Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust's 'Drawn to Water' partnership has encouraged visitors to their wetland site to get creative and be inspired too.

The 'Drawn to Water' national art competition asked entrants to capture the wonder of wetlands at one of the WWT's UK sites and show what wetlands mean to them. Judges were astounded by the creativity and effort from everyone that entered, and it was wonderful to see the artworks and read about what wetlands mean to the participating artists.

After some serious deliberation, Quentin's team and the WWT are thrilled to announce that the winning entry is ‘Reflections of Life’ by Robyn Brown. 

Competition judge Sophie Stericker, from Quentin Blake's office, said "Reflections on Life is such a worthy winner. The more you look at the artwork the more you see; I loved the concept of reflecting human relationships with those of the wildlife at Slimbridge. The drawing is clever, fun and uplifting.”

Robyn, who is an orthopaedic surgeon-in-training, was inspired to create her artwork by visits to WWT Slimbridge. Having visited regularly as a child, Robyn now shares her love of the site with her fiancée.

Robyn said “My inspiration for this watercolour came from the way the wildlife at wetlands so beautifully reflect our lives. Its diversity is reflected in the diversity of its visitors, young and old. It is a haven for all to enjoy. The birds' vibrant activity, chatter and interactions charmingly reflect our own relationships, highlighted in visits alongside family and friends. Wetlands are a perfect place to peacefully reflect whilst observing the reflections of life in the wildlife around us.”

Robyn wins a framed limited-edition print of ‘Heron’ by Quentin Blake, and a day ticket for up to four people to visit a WWT centre of their choice.

Three runners up receive a set of 6 books from The QB Papers series, plus a day ticket for up to four people to visit a WWT centre of their choice.  They are:  Tina Bullivant with ‘Heron Sunset’;  Susan Williams with 'Autumn Lake'; and Jenny McCrohan with 'Bobbi and Cranes'.  Pop over to the WWT website to see their beautiful artworks.