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In Memoriam: Bill Yardley

Bill YardleyBill Yardley, honorary graduate of Warwick, a renowned farmer and distinguished artist has died aged 72.

Bill worked the farm that has belonged to his family since the 17th century. He was noted for his devotion to the countryside, high standards of husbandry and commitment to country crafts such as hedge laying. Highly esteemed by his peers, he had a particular talent for sheep breeding, and won innumerable prizes at agricultural shows.

His life and work as a countryman was reflected in his art, and Bill was best known for his beautiful etchings of farm animals, praised for their precision, extraordinary consistency and magical, highly stylised nature; the animals sometimes come across as being almost like people, with personalities of their own. Bill's work has been shown at the Royal Academy, at the Royal Society of British Artists' exhibition in the Mall Galleries in London, the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol and at many galleries throughout the Midlands.

As a mark of his services to art, rural life, his community and the University of Warwick, David was awarded an honorary MA degree in 1997.

Read the full obituary by David Mervin on the Guardian website.