Keith Hope Shackleton MBE 1923 – 2015 Keith Shackleton was one of those rare individuals who excel at just about anything they turn their hands to. Quite apart from being a great painter, one can list among his many other achievements; wildlife conservationist, naturalist, television presenter, pilot and internationally acclaimed yachtsman to name but a few. As well as being a founder member and former president of the SWLA he was also President of the Royal Society of Marine Artists (RSMA). In 1986 he received the award of ‘Master Artist’ by North America’s foremost wildlife art institution the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, and in 2012 he was awarded the MBE for services to wildlife conservation. Keith Hope Shackleton was born on January 16th 1923. The son of a leading aircraft designer, he served five years in the RAF and after the war joined the family aviation business as a salesman and pilot. Although painting only in his spare time, demand for his work increased to the point where, in 1960, he decided to become a full-time artist. His passion for small-boat sailing saw him representing Great Britain several times in international regattas and on four occasions he was crew aboard the winning boat in the international ‘Prince of Wales Cup’ for 14ft dinghies. Keith did much for wildlife conservation. He was a founder member, Trustee and Vice-President of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and actively supported conservation in Antarctica, a part of the world he had a special affinity with and visited often. In the mid 60’s Keith joined Johnny Morris as co-presenter of the memorable ‘Animal Magic’ programme and later fronted his own television series ‘Animals in Action’. Keith was a great inspiration to many of us and was at his most brilliant when painting the sea, producing many large and memorable oil paintings of seabirds gliding over tumultuous seas. For those who knew him he was a kind and generous man with a great sense of humour and an often mischievously witty turn of phrase; a great raconteur who had a seemingly endless fund of stories and anecdotes, drawn from a rich life filled with enviably fascinating adventures. He was a modest and self-deprecating man with infinite charm and was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. He will be greatly missed and our thoughts and condolences go to his wife, Jacqueline, and to all of his family.
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