1945年, 特威登出生于新西兰奥克兰，是一位专业的动物和植物主题画家，主要是鸟类，硬纸板油画，金叶，工笔画和水彩画。特威登总是对自然界的一切事物异常感兴趣。

从6岁起，他就通过绘画反映了他对自然的热爱。1966年, 他去澳大利亚时，对这个新国家的新植物、动物、鸟类和昆虫感到惊奇。1971年, 他首次举办名为“珍惜我们的遗产”的个人画展，展出了有关人类对地球影响的绘画作品。这场演出得到了广泛的报道，展出非常成功。随后,他探索了巴布亚新几内亚野生动物的美丽。在悉尼、墨尔本、阿德莱德、伦敦和奥克兰举办了七次展览。他以24克拉金箔画天堂鸟而闻名。

自1972年以来，他为澳大利亚博物馆出版了八本关于鸟类、鱼类和澳大利亚鹦鹉系列的限量版专著，以及1976年的巴布亚新几内亚邮票系列。通过在43个国家进行游历研究，致力于绘制世界上最美丽的鸟类、鱼类和植物, 他最终形成,出版两本绘画专著《双鱼座热带动物》和《世界上50种最稀有的鸟类》，其中包括世界上美丽的珊瑚鱼。在接下来的几年里，在电视媒体将其大量呈现给公众之前,他的作品因真实地反映了大自然的美丽被全世界的收藏家所购买。

特威登随后许多作品是受托定制和收藏采购,包括来自爱丁堡公爵、丰田公司董事长的丰田章男、澳大利亚博物馆、汤加国王、澳航和新西兰航空。其他还包括美国杯帆船大赛名人船主丹尼斯·康纳（Dennis Conner）和美国最富有和知名家族之一的五件作品。他的作品被奥克兰市立艺术馆Toi o Tāmaki、新西兰国立顶级博物馆Te Papa Tongarewa博物馆、澳大利亚美术馆和海外收藏与展出。

在悉尼居住创作了22年后，特威登于1988年回到奥克兰，在那里他很享受通过自己创办的惠特福珍鸟庄园,重新发现自己的家园和自然遗产。25年来，他的奥克兰“惠特福珍鸟园”向公众开放，是当地一家屡获殊荣的庄园。

2013年, 经多次交流, 特威登决定把庄园传承给时任奥克兰市区议员黄伟雄, 然后移居到新西兰南岛纳尔逊. 布莱克现将大部分时间用于维护他在城市之巅庄园住宅，并为布鲁克·瓦马拉马保护区（Brook Waimarama Sanctuary）制作陶瓷，该保护区正在开发中，以保护和保护新西兰的土著物种。

2020年11月，特威登精品画廊正式建成，以便与更多人分享绿色环保理念、与艺术作品。

Introduction into Blake Twigden

Born in Auckland, New Zealand in 1945, Blake Twigden is a specialist painter of zoological and botanical subjects primarily birdlife, in oils on hardboard and in gold leaf, pen and watercolor.

Blake was always unusually interested in all things of the natural world. From the age of 6 he has reflected his love for nature through his paintings. 

When he left for Australia in 1966 he marveled at the new plants, animals, birds and insects of this new country. His first one man Exhibition in 1971 titled “Consider our Heritage” displayed paintings relating to the human effect on our planet. Generous publicity resulted and the show was very successful.

He then explored the stunning wildlife in Papua New Guinea. Seven trips there resulted in Exhibitions in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, London and Auckland. He became renowned for his paintings of Birds of Paradise on 24 ct Gold Leaf. Since 1972 he has published eight limited edition books on birds, fishes, the Australian Parrot series for the Australian Museum, and the 1976 Papua New Guinea stamp series.

In all Blake visited 43 countries, concentrating on painting the world's most beautiful birds, fishes and plants.  His work was published in two books, “Pisces Tropicana” which featured the world's beautiful coral fishes, and “The Fifty Rarest Birds of the World”. During the following years his work has been purchased by collectors all over the world as he captured the beauty of nature well before television brought it to the world’s attention.

Major commissions and purchases include those from the Duke of Edinburgh, the Toyodas of Toyota, The Australian Museum, the King of Tonga, Qantas and Air New Zealand. Other sales have included Dennis Conner of the America’s Cup fame and five works to one of America’s richest and well known families. His work is exhibited in Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, galleries in Australia and overseas collections.

After 22 years based in Sydney, Twigden returned to Auckland in 1988 where he has enjoyed rediscovering his homeland and his natural heritage through creating the Whitford Bird Garden. For twenty-five years the Whitford Bird Garden was open to the public and was an award winning local business. He moved to Nelson in 2013 on selling the property to Wayne Huang (inaugural Howick Local Board member of Auckland Council). Blake now spends most of his time maintaining his unique property and makes ceramics for the Brook Waimarama Sanctuary which was developed to protect and preserve the native species of New Zealand.

In November 2020 the Blake Twigden Learning Centre was established to share his vision and ensure his legacy is continued for future generations to enjoy.

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Version one 21st November 2020