From successful rock guitarist to expert bird illustrator and back again, Rob Dean

Interesting interview with Rob Dean, guitarist with Japan, collaborator with Gary Numan, Sinead O’Connor and then, in a complete pivot talented and successful bird illustrator of Costa Rican and Central American bird species. Having met Rob when he had first moved to Monte Verde, Costa Rica in ’92, it is great to catch up with him and review his work in the 28 years since then.

Does it seem like a logical background to what you do now and what inspired you to begin doing the bird illustrations?

When I originally decided to leave the UK for good and move here to Costa Rica I was not a birdwatcher or even an artist at all. Up until that point my livelihood had been that of a musician but I’d reached a point in my life when I knew I needed some new experiences. Immediately I found that Costa Rica fulfilled that need and it wasn’t too long before I had the burning desire to identify all of the amazing multicoloured bird species that I encountered here.

From there it became a logical step to start painting them. I had studied art at school but had not put pencil or paintbrush to paper in about 20 years, but, again, the time felt right to start. Within a relatively short time I was being asked to illustrated a field guide for the Birds of Costa Rica. It just all fell into place.

In Ireland it is considered good to have seen 300+ birds, whereas in Costa Rica there are many many more, you have seen & drawn over 700 – why are there so many more in Central America – which are your favourites?

In actual fact in Costa Rica alone the country list is now well over 900, of which I’ve seen over 850. And since then I have now illustrated field guides to Northern Central America, Nicaragua, and Panama as well as Costa Rica. I have painted considerably more than a thousand individual species. It’s all down to biodiversity. In Central America alone you can find tropical rainforest, humid forest, cloud forest, pacific dry forest, foothill forest, elfin highland forest, wetlands, pacific and Caribbean slope lowland habitats, etc, all of which contribute to a greater bird diversity and number of species than can be found in the UK and Europe.

On top of that there are migrants from North  America that visit for half the year to avoid the much colder winter up north and some that migrate part of the year from South America too as well as others that merely pass through on their journey further south and back up to the north.

My favorites tend to be the more elusive and challenging birds to see. I particularly enjoy seeing Antbirds,(a family of birds that generally spend their lives following swarms of army ants which stir up the insects they feed on as they move through the forest), Owls,Hummingbirds and some of the more unique species here, such as the Bare-necked Umbrellabird

Rob Dean, bird illustrator and musician

Umbrella Bird, by Rob Dean

What are your favourite bird illustrations & why? 

Here are two of my favourite bird paintings. As I said, these are two, enigmatic birds that I feel I’ve given justice to in my paintings, the Bare-necked Umbrellabird, Green Thorntail Hummingbirds and Turquoise Cotinga

Turquoise Cotinga, Rob Dean

Which birds have you yet to see / how rare are the remaining birds that you have not seen / drawn yet?

If I’m working on a field guide project then obviously I need to illustrate  all of the necessary birds whether I’ve seen them or not. Fortunately these days there are enough photographers/birders in the field that invariably source materials can be found to help me in this. Add to this previous description accounts and illustrations from other books and biological papers and you can usually reach a satisfactory end with the required illustration(s).

Rarity or scarcity varies. Sometimes it’s just a case that there are isolated small populations of certain birds that make it all but impossible to find them. And then there are the passage migrants that are found in the country within a very small window of opportunity,(usually no more than a few weeks). There are always the elusive ones that I just haven’t been fortunate enough to see yet, but I live in hope-all of us birders do!

1 min pitch for what you are doing now / how are you managing during these corona times / is it very different from before?

Life here for me has not changed very much since the pandemic began. Since my work keeps me at home anyway, (I am currently working on the third edition of the Costa Rican field guide), I am able to keep concentrating on the work with even fewer distractions than before. Fortunately I live in a quiet, relatively secluded environment surrounded by nature, and so I take my dog for a walk and birdwatch around the property and manage to avoid the outside world just like I always have. The only difference is that I’m not able to leave on regular birding trips further afield.

What inspired you to record the new album Dimensions?

An encounter with a friend who suggested we work on music together. Up until that point I was quite content not to devote any time to original music at all, (although I had played regularly on the local music scene here throughout the years ), but once we began it felt like I had never stopped. The creative juices flowed and our album,’Dimensions’ under the name ‘Light Of Day’ is the result. It’s an eclectic, expansive journey which I think runs the gamut of both of our ranges of musical influences up to this point. It’s an album I am extremely proud of.

What styles of music currently inspire you?

At the moment I am particularly inspired by the ambient works of Brian Eno and Robert Fripp, incorporating these typically serene elements into more conventional song structures and soundscapes.

But I do find that all of my earlier influences from when I was a teenager growing up in the ’60’s and ’70’s are those that I look towards now in creating new music. I will always be inspired by the creativity of The Beatles, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, and Talk Talk to name a few. These are some of my musical idols whose music still resonates with me as much today.

How can people find out more about you personally & your work?

The album,’Dimensions’ by Light Of Day can be found on all the major digital platforms (Bandcamp, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music) and retail CD and vinyl can be purchased at Burning Shed and Bandcamp.

Field guides to the birds of Costa Rica , Panama, and Nicaragua are published by Helm in the UK and Europe. Peterson’s guide to the birds of Northern Central America is published by Houghton, Mifflin Harcourt.

https://lightofdaycr.bandcamp.com/album/dimensions

How much does bird watching and creating music cross-fertilize each other (if at all)?

I’m not sure that they do, really. Possibly one could find elements that link the two in our new music but I think I’m too close to it to have a reasonable perspective. To a certain extent, I suppose the natural world does play its’ part.

Who and where do you get inspiration from, for the music you wish to create?

I think inspiration comes from everywhere for all of us. Definitely from the music that inspired me growing up and on my musical journey. My travels, my friends…situations we find ourselves in……TV and film…..

What is a good Japan song for people to know more about your guitar playing?

Quiet Life

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