The Gallery at The Art of Leslie Rockey, Fine Art publishers and High Quality gifts. Heritage Map Gifts and Countryside China from The Art of Leslie Rockey - Historical Maps of the Cities and Counties of Britain and Scotland and High quality China featuring the many popular designs of the Countryside.

Enjoy your visit to our Gallery

Private commissions for portraits, book illustrations and hand-painted beach pebbles of animals and wildlife, prompted The Art Of Leslie Rockey to add a new collection to their catalogue of quality products - "The Countryside Collection" - which features Leslie's charming images of badgers, otters, owls, blue tit, squirrels and dormouse. As prints, framed or mounted, and as images on finest bone china trinket boxes; teapots and four sizes of jugs, bringing nature to life in his own inimitable style.

In addition, to the items in china, the follow are available as prints, framed or mounted with a hand-painted gold leaf line: cows, foxes, hedgehogs, doves, ducks, eagle, hen, kingfisher, stork swan and butterfly. Each countryside collection print took up to six months until the artist was completely satisfied he had captured the beauty and "ahhh factor" of the UK's country wildlife and nature.

We have discovered a wonderful piece of Leslie's artwork, hidden away for maybe 60 years in his art college folder - The Owl and the Pussycat - and as the sole colour image in the Countryside Collection, we have produced this gem in Leslie's memory.

On leaving the RAF Leslie resumed his passion for art, specialising in writing, lettering and illumination at art college. He combined these crafts with his love of History and Geography to create commemorative and celebrative commissions for household names, the aristocracy and international heritage sites.

The artist’s passions led to his romance with some of the great places of the United Kingdom. Inspired by their stunning architecture and expansive history he set out to create an individual tribute. He wanted to celebrate not only the famous features, but also the hidden treasures to give his work a uniquely accurate and personal texture.

To ensure each representation was accurate and fully encompassing, months of research were undertaken. This involved many, many hours sifting through records, extensive exploration around the city and liaison with the local tourist board to create what Leslie Rockey describes as a "personal statement of being of a place". The exploration led to locations ranging from the Long Man of Wilmington in Sussex to the contemporary Greenwich Royal Observatory being included, as well as notable citizens.

The history was then transferred to paper using traditional calligraphic scripting and illumination techniques. The process of taking one map from pencil rough to a finished creation is a labour of love. Each stage is undertaken with meticulous attention to detail and respect for the subject, combined with flair and empathy for the city to create an inspiring result.

The finished work is not only a beautiful collectors piece and testimony to some of the most fascinating parts of Britain, but have also become, in their own right, a part of the rich cultural tapestry of areas they are celebrating.

The result is eminently collectable and simply breathtaking, providing the perfect tribute or gift for anyone who has ever been associated with these great locations.

The Art of Leslie Rockey ( Trading as "Rockey" )
35 Dacre Road, Herstmonceux, East Sussex, BN27 4LP, England, UK
Telephone: 0800 458 0958 Fax: +44 (0) 01323 831550
Email: enquiries@rockey.co.uk Website: www.rockey.co.uk