Artist Rebecca Howard Paints England's Rewilding Sites

Artist Rebecca Howard has spent two years visiting rewilding projects across England to paint nine large canvases. Her exhibition, which opens at the rewilded Knepp estate in West Sussex on September 12, aims to reveal the aesthetic beauty found in the 'mess' of wild nature.

Howard wanted to create a positive exhibition. "I wanted to create a positive exhibition that people could view and feel let to do something of their own," she said. She noted traditional galleries often show seascapes or bluebell woods, but rarely a dead tree.

Exploring Diverse Rewilded Landscapes

Howard's journey began at Cabilla, a fragment of Cornish temperate rainforest being restored by the Thousand Year Trust charity. She then visited famous sites like the pioneering Knepp estate and a Devon farm managed by rewilder Derek Gow. She also explored lesser-known projects, including Britain's largest urban rewilding site in Derby and the historic Broughton Sanctuary in North Yorkshire. Each site is a member of the Rewilding Britain charity's network.

The artist was struck by the landowners' openness. They shared a common goal of increasing biodiversity and were enthusiastic guides. Howard observed rapid positive change at some sites, including the return of lost species.

Finding Beauty in Decay and Process

At Hamatethy Farm in Cornwall, Howard painted a huge beech tree mostly chewed through by beavers. She found beauty in its precarious state. "It was a felled tree waiting to happen," Howard said. She described the excitement of seeing beauty in new ways, noting the future habitat the tree will provide when it falls.

At Knepp, she focused on standing deadwood, a vital habitat for invertebrates often removed from managed landscapes. In Devon's Moor Barton, she participated in ring-barking non-native larch trees to create deadwood and help native oaks and birches. The act initially felt contradictory, but she understood its purpose for the land's long-term benefit.

The Exhibition's Scale and Ambition

Each of Howard's paintings measures 120cm tall by 70cm wide. She intends for them to be immersive. "When you're standing in front of them they take up your whole vision. The idea is that you're transported to that place," she explained. The exhibition runs at Knepp until October 18, with hopes for a subsequent tour.

Lia Brazier, Knepp's creative director, said rewilding must exist in culture and imagination as well as landscapes. She stated the paintings reveal the diversity that emerges when nature recovers and hopes they inspire a deeper connection with a wilder future. Howard sees her art as a way to draw people in and raise awareness for a cause she supports, calling it her gift to the rewilding movement.