Little Terns with Wee Mackerel by Mychael Lythgoe

Dimensions

About the Artist:

Michael Lythgoe was born in Liverpool in 1950. He served an apprenticeship in engineering with Unilever and, on completion in 1970, joined the Merchant Navy as a junior engineering officer.

After marrying in 1975, he continued his love of travel and emigrated to Canada, settling in St. Catharines, Ontario, where he worked in the shipbuilding industry. Living and working on the shores of Lake Ontario allowed him to pursue his hobby of bird photography, spending countless hours observing the birdlife of the region.

Whenever possible, he took canoe trips on the lakes of northern Ontario to photograph and study the Loon, his favourite species. On a trip to Cape Cod, he purchased an old wooden decoy, which still sits proudly in his workshop today.

That carving inspired Michael to change direction and, upon returning to the UK in 1986 with his wife and two children, he embarked on a new career. A sell-out show at the William Marler Gallery in Cirencester in 1988, along with winning the European Decoy Carving Championships, enabled Michael to begin his new way of life.

His work has since evolved into a style and form that is uniquely his. Curvaceous and calming, the eye of both ornithologist and craftsman is clearly visible.