My latest piece of work is a painting of a Golden Labrador named Ross, this is quite a departure from the recent series featuring Big Cats. A dogs’ portrait might be seen as lacking the appeal of more exotic subject matter, I do not agree. Having loved dogs all my life and enjoyed the unquestioning loyalty they give I cannot think of anything I enjoy painting more. It is quite a challenge to portray a dog and convey the character in a way that resonates with the dogs’ owner.
Ross detail
The way this painting was developed can be seen in the images taken at various stages and shows my preferred working method. Certain key elements such as; in this case, the eyes and the nose are carefully defined and form the roadmap for the painting. The rest of the painting is completed in muted colours, almost monochrome, with local colour added in transparent glazes. The final stage sees the addition of opaque colour to emphasise form and highlights.
This image shows the underpainting prior to the addition of glazes
At this stage the glazes are added to the underpainting.
There are many examples of the unique relationship between men and dogs and it should come as no surprise that we want to have our pets immortalised. to quote Agnes Sligh Turnbull.
‘Dogs’ lives are too short, their only fault really’
My recent visit to Dudley Zoo, made with the intention of photographing their Snow Leopard’s turned up an unexpected bonus, Dudley Zoo had recently acquired two young Tigers, a Sumatran male and a Siberian, also known as Amur Tiger which is a young female. The Snow Leopards were beautiful but the wire mesh of their cage; foiled my attempts to photograph them but the Tiger enclosure provided marvelouse views and the tigers were playful and completely captivating.
When I completed a painting of the Amur Tiger I sent the image to Dudley Zoo and complimented them on their Zoo. I was pleased to get an immediate response from their Head of Media and Communications, asking if they could use the painting on their web site. Well we all have an ego and it was nice to have mine stroked. More importantly I was invited to return with the promise of meeting the Head of the big cats and with a bit of luck he just might manage to assist me in getting a photo of the Snow Leopards.
When I was a young boy we used to visit Edinburgh Zoo and I distinctly remember being upset by the cramped and austere conditions the animals were kept. That was how all zoo’s kept their animals then. The huge change in the perception of what is acceptable to ensure wild animals are healthy in body as well as mind, has brought about a sea change in zoo’s the world over and now zoo’s go to great lengths to ensure the animals have enough space and mental stimulation to provide them with a good quality of life and crucially; contended enough to breed normally.
The massive erosion of environment has meant that the only way many of our endangered animals will survive is by the breeding programs that all zoo’s pursue. In the case of the Amur Tiger there are only about thirty individuals left in the wild. So we have much to be grateful for and it means our children and their children will be as thrilled as I was when I visited Dudley Zoo.
Recently I have seen an increased incidence of Sparrowhawk sorties targeting the birds at the feeders in my garden. I try to accept the harsh reality of nature along with all the pleasant sights and sounds. After all it is as natural for a Sparrowhawk to predate songbirds as it is for Blackbirds to feed on worms and try as it might a hawk cannot feed on peanuts. There can hardly be a more exhilarating spectacle anywhere than a Sparrowhawk streaking by at such speed you are left with only blurred impression of it’s passage.
My acceptance of the natural pecking order was somewhat tested when a young male Blackbird which had become increasingly tame and almost accepted tidbits from my hand, appeared to have fallen victim to the raider. I went out into the garden and disturbed the Sparrowhawk, it flew off with the victim in it’s talons. On examining the crime scene I did not need CSI to establish the unfortunate bird was a Blackbird. I feared for my new friend and looked in vain all that day. However I am pleased to say that ‘Blackie’ turned up for breakfast the next day unhurt and hungry as usual so it was not his time.
I have been invited to exhibit at the Great Yorkshire Show this year and I am looking forward to the three day event. It is a great venue and I always enjoy talking to the public about my work.
I am working on a painting of an Amur Leopard at the moment, I captured images of this beautiful cat on a visit to Edinburgh Zoo. I must be the only visitor to the zoo recently who did not want to see the Pandas! I am on a bit of a roll with big cats having just completed a Sumatran Tiger, this will be on my web site shortly.
Speaking of exotic animals; check out the photograph of a field vole on my feeder. A real you’ve been framed moment.
It has been a while since my last posting and the big news (for me at least) is my new studio. It has just been completed and means I can now vacate the spare room and my wife can whip out her Farrow & Ball colour chart and re-decorate the mess I have left behind. The studio is a loft conversion above my garage and with four Velux windows in the roof the light is fantastic.
On the painting front I have decided to take a break from my usual subject matter; which is predominately British wildlife and indulge myself with some more exotic wildlife from farther afield. With this in mind I spent a pleasant day at Chester Zoo and captured some good images of big cats. The first painting is a relatively small gouache of a Sumatran Tiger, television never seems able to give the same charge of excitement you get when you are up close and personal with wild creatures, despite innovations like HD etc, TV just cannot convey the presence and sheer charisma of something as magnificent as a Tiger. But even in a zoo where you know you are beyond their reach, there is a thrill of fear as they come close. The unmistakable throaty cough of a big cat touches something primeval in us that our instincts still retain. Hopefully you will think I have captured something of the dismissive arrogance of this male Tiger’s gaze in the painting.
Because I enjoyed painting it so much you can expect to see more from the material I brought back from Chester and I am already planning a visit to Dudley Zoo.
November 7th,2011
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The picture is of the harbour at Tobermory (or Balamory if you are under seven), the main town of Mull. The rainbow tells the story of my week there, the weather was changeable but the experience; totally brilliant. My wife and I hired a camper van and straight after the exhibition at Fountains we headed north. September is not the month you would choose if you were intent on seeing the greatest range of Mull’s birdlife but as the permanent residents include Sea Eagles and Golden Eagles we kind of hoped it would provide a memorable moment or two. We visited the famous Sea Eagle Hide at Loch Frisa on our last full day more in hope than expectation. The Warden met our group and escorted us to the hide and began with an interesting overview of the Sea Eagle project. Despite a couple of false alarms (Buzzards) the Sea Eagles refused to put in an appearance but the Warden did a super job, with anecdotes and a DVD to educate and entertain. Between showers I went outside with Helen, a visiting RSPB warden, to scan the skies, when a beautiful Golden Eagle flew slowly over the top of the hide! I will never forget the thrill of seeing this bird which was not a speck in the distance but just above the treetops. The Warden called everybody out and just about everyone (except my wife) saw the Goldie before it dropped below the tree line. My holiday was complete, since then I have mentally re-played the sighting again and again.
The Exhibition at Fountains was just as enjoyable as my first, and this time I included some pencil drawings, these seemed to create quite a bit of interest so I started a drawing of an Osprey. Although the drawing is still to be completed I include a detail of the work in progress.
September 12th,2011
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Just returned from hanging my wildlife paintings at Fountains Abbey ready for the start of a weeks show, doors open at 10.00 am tomorrow (Friday). If it is remotely as successful as my first show there I will be delighted. Everyone at Fountains is so welcoming I feel like a football team playing at ‘home’. I intend to set up my mobile studio again because I felt people enjoyed seeing the process of producing finished artwork as much as I enjoyed sharing my thoughts on painting. Just managed to squeeze in a painting of a Mallard duckling thanks to John at Turners Framers in Harrogate who did his usual heroic turn around. The duckling painting is a Gouache and I am currently painting a Grey Wolf in the same medium, I must say I really enjoy the switching of mediums and I feel it gives a freshness I would otherwise lose. This time I have included some pencil drawings which have an appeal of their own.
If you are interested in seeing my latest work I would be delighted to see you at Fountains during the next seven days and remember my exhibition is at the main entrance so no admission fee is required to come and have a chat; I will be delighted to discuss all aspects of my painting.
August 25th,2011
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No this wasn’t an invite for a tete a tete with his Lordship, rather it was a Red Kite Event for which I had to fork out £10.00. It was money well spent; despite dismal weather I had a great time. The evening was hosted by Doug Simpson MBE who is the project manager for the Red Kite release in Yorkshire. It was a fascinating talk; Doug’s enthusiasm for the subject was very evident. I won’t try to relay all the statistics of birds succesfully introduced to Yorkshire nor the sad stories of the birds who fell foul of the appalling practice of poisoned bait left out for foxes and crows (allegedly) but please visit the web site www.yorkshireredkites.net for a comprehensive account of this stunning success. Contrasting with this is the seemingly inevitable general decline of our wildlife. There are many reasons for this sad tale of attrition, suffice it to say that the recent Badger culling experiment is the latest example of wildlife sacrificed for dubious reasons. I say dubious because this practice has been rejected by Scotland among other regions as being counter productive and many farmers are concerned by the public reaction to the shooting of such an iconic creature, especially as the jntended effect on the spread of Bovine TB is far from clear.
A recent trip to Aberdeenshire presented me with the chance to see large numbers of Eider duck, despite the birds largely being in moult and not their usual handsome self I was thrilled to get quite close to them. On the way from the beach back to the car I chanced upon some fledgling swallows; guessing the adult birds would be along soon I settled down to wait. Sure enough they appeared and despite my presence began to feed the youngsters. Brilliant! I noticed when looking at the photographs that one of the adult birds had only one leg, plucky little bird.
My second exhibition at Fountains Abbey is set for Friday 26th August for a week and I am really looking forward to it. Last time I really enjoyed being able to speak to people about my work and with my easel and paints; enabling those interested to see work in progress. After my inspiring evening at Harewood I fully intend having a painting of a Red Kite finished for the exhibition.
FEED ME!
This is the season where our wildlife does it’s damnedest to ensure it’s survival with an explosion of new life. The air is full of young birds demanding to be fed. The feeders in my garden require almost daily replenishment with a frenzy of feeding. The payback for this chore is the wonderful sight of young songbirds and woodpeckers who provide a daily soap opera which rivals TV’s Springwatch. I suppose I am fortunate in where I live, on a recent early morning walk I lost count of the Wrens, Goldfinches, Tits and Finches I saw or heard. The ability to recognise specific bird species by their song or call is a skill I am struggling to acquire. Apart from the birds which I can see regularly in the garden I cannot identify individual birds calls as I walk through woodland or by the reedbeds at our local RSPB site. The almost mystical skill of people who can suddenly stop and say ‘listen; a Wood Warbler’ leaves me envious because the birds we can hear far outnumber the ones we can see. I have obtained a CD of bird calls and intend to make this my required listening when driving, we shall see whether this pays off in future.
The Birdfair at Tamworth was not a huge success from my perspective, too few visitors combined with wildly flapping marquee walls meant that I, along with many other exhibitors, packed up early on the Sunday and put it down to experience. In an attempt to put that behind me I arranged to re-visit Fountains Abbey for a week; taking in the August Bank Holiday. If I enjoy this as much as the last exhibition there I will be delighted, it is a great venue (with a great cafe) and the staff are really nice.
I am currently painting a pair of Canada Geese, these birds are a common sight and as such can be overlooked for more exotic wildfowl but they look majestic and I hope my painting will capture their almost muscular elegance.
OPEN WIDE
I must admit to a sense of sadness now that my one man exhibition at Fountains Abbey is over. I took great pleasure from the comments I received and enjoyed the opportunity to speak to people about my work. The level of interest in my paintings was surprising given that most people had visited to enjoy the Abbey and grounds. When you consider that very few of those who came would class themselves as bird watchers or twitchers, it appears to me that almost everyone is more aware of our birdlife than we realise and that they derive significant pleasure from wild birds. I am not even sure that we recognise the positive influence they have on our daily lives. I was asked several times why I had not done a painting of a Red Kite, this would not have happened before the reintroduction program at Harewood and is a measure of the pleasure the residents of Yorkshire feel on seeing these wonderful birds. The RSPB represent more than just the interest of birdwatchers; they are the guardians of a fragile resource which is under pressure from many directions, a resource that the vast majority of us consider important.
The highlight of my week was a seven year old from Durham who chatted away about how good my paintings were and then suggested I might be a candidate for the ‘clever table’ at her school, surely the ultimate accolade.
It is often said that the only barometer of success for an artist is the public putting their hand in their pocket to confirm their approval, I don’t actually subscribe to that because sometimes the cost of a painting is prohibitive when people have other priorities. Happily I exceded my expectations for sales but will remember the many kind comments for a long time.
Next stop the Birdwatchers Spring Fair at Middleton near Tamworth Saturday 21st. and Sunday 22nd. May. Time I got painting!
One of the things I have noticed since my rather late arrival to the ranks of bird watching is the attitude of my fellow birders. The pleasant demeanor and helpful attitude on first meeting as we peer through the hide slits is in marked contrast with my experiences while driving or shopping. All the aggresion and conflict that we all meet and I dare say feel ourselves is completely absent, when going into a hide I find people smile; squeeze up to make room and will often point out something interesting but barely visible. Is it something to do with the values of people who relate to wild creatures, my wife and I as dog owners would often say how nice someone we met was and put it down to the fact they were also owners of a dog. In the same way that one of the first signs in anti social and violent people is a tendency to cruelty in animals, perhaps the reverse is true. I had a terrific visit to Blacktoft Sands RSPB on Saturday, the weather was lovely and I saw my first and probably last Grasshopper Warbler. This bird is not what you would call showy, it is understated in everything except it’s call. The name says it all, I was on route to Singleton Hide when I heard what sounded exactly like a very loud grasshopper and only yards away this little bird was chirping away for all he was worth, he continued to do this for at least an hour on and off. Soon an audience gathered and people smiled at one another like we shared a secret that somehow made us friends, as others turned up they would have the object of our attentions pointed out to them and I noticed photographers made room for the recent additions to the ranks. Is this effect the real gift that wild creatures give to man, if so it more than compensates for anything we do for them by way of conservation.
My exhibition at Fountains Abbey is only days away and I feel happy that I have a decent body of work, the last painting to be included is one I have wanted to do since my first sight of the Marsh Harriers at Blacktofts and I hope it captures some of the magic I feel when I see these magnificent birds quartering the reedbeds.
