Born in London in 1926, David Koster's interests in both art and wildlife began at an early age. As a boarder at a progressive school in rural Sussex, creativity and individuality were nurtured and spare time could be spent watching birds and fishing.
Three years at the Slade School of Fine Art followed, where he learnt wood engraving and lithography and made frequent visits to Hampstead Heath to observe and sketch birds, fish and insects. This was interrupted by two years National Service mainly spent in the Far East, with the opportunity to observe and record a whole new fauna and flora.
David’s long association with the Highlands of Scotland and in particular with Plockton on the West Coast began in 1952. Although he moved to Folkestone in 1966 to take up a post as tutor in Printmaking and Drawing, he and his wife Kath kept a toe hold in Plockton for the long Summer holidays.
When the Folkstone School of Art closed he commuted to Medway College of Design in Chatham, before retiring from teaching in 1989. Medway College was where he learned the technique of etching, which he found the ideal medium for depicting the Alpine flower and butterfly subjects resulting from holidays he and Kath had begun taking in the Austrian and Italian Alps. The chalk downland around Folkestone also provided a rich source of inspiration with its many species of orchids and butterflies.
2005 saw the publication by Wildside Books of “David Koster, Artist, Printmaker and Naturalist.” It is lavishly illustrated with drawings, watercolours and prints spanning sixty-five years and the informative text is peppered with anecdotes and diary entries.
David was a founder member of the Society of Wildlife Artists. He had work in numerous exhibitioins, including the Royal Academy. His work has been commission by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and individuals such as David Attenborough and Virginia Mckenna ( Robert Greenhalf)