Passionate about Wildlife. About Tony Ladd
Tony Ladd has always had a yearning for the countryside and outdoor pursuits. Spending as much time as possible under the watchful eye of his grandfather on his farm in Ditchling, West Sussex, Tony soon began to identify his surroundings in detail and learn from nature. Nothing pleased him more than fishing for roach while observing the insects and birds that rewarded him with memorable close encounters any naturalist would be envious of.
This grounding knowledge "can only be found through hours of time spent in our beautiful countryside", says Tony. As Tony grew up and developed an aptitude for art, nature was his obvious choice of subject matter. In his teens he had several successful one man exhibitions of his work and soon built up a following of avid collectors. His studies include bird sketches and paintings along with dog, horse and fish studies.
Today, Tony is a partner in a successful design agency, which includes all forms of graphic art, interior design and one-off items of object d'art. Every moment of spare time Tony has he likes to spend teaching his children the marvels that his Grandfather taught him all those years ago, he believes:"These days children know little about nature and we should all do something to promote the well being of our glorious countryside".
When Tony started producing replica bird eggs in 2002, 'a forgotten jewel of nature', his stepfather had just retired from his stone mason role at Chichester Cathedral. He had always been proactive towards the re-introduction of a pair of Peregrines that used to nest in the turrets around the spire. So, as a present which differed from the numerous works of art around his parent's home, Tony decided to create a replica clutch of Peregrine eggs displayed in a mahogany case. His stepfather was over the moon with the gift and visitors started a run of growing orders.
Tony soon became known for his attention to detail and amazing techniques to replicate bird egg families - so much so that orders came from around the globe and, until this day, he is working on an immense backlog of orders.
With his exclusive collection of detailed photographs obtained by kind permission of The Oxford Natural History Oology Department for reference in his replica work, Tony has spent three years developing a unique set of limited edition British bird egg prints. A collection which is totally unique and displays each egg correct in both size and scale and with remarkable detail.
His knowledge of graphic reproduction has helped Tony monitor every step of the process ,ensuring these Lithographic limited edition prints are reproduced on the finest triple silk papers, stamped, hand signed and numbered, with each plate being destroyed at the end of the print process.
Publications Featured in
I would like to thanks the following publications for their interest and featured articles of my work:
