HORNED GREBE STUDIES

 

We only see Horned Grebes in winter around here and by that time, the males have lost their spectacular breeding plumage. I usually find them around the shoreline diving in shallow water usually alone but sometimes up to 3 or more. I never have been able to get really close views of them as they are quite shy and always swim away as I approach. At times, I have sat quietly near the shore and have watched them diving relatively closely - close enough at least to see the unusual red eye with the tiny yellow-ringed pupil that these birds have.

The Horned Grebe is known as Slavonian Grebe in Europe and in the above painting, this is the view I usually get of them! I do enjoy the pattern on the back of the head though so thought I'd do an illustration of that feature. I have been working on a series of illustrations lately so that is what I'll be posting for a while. Don't worry though, I'll get back to some 'serious' painting soon. Both these watercolors were done on a 9 x 12" sheet of Grumbacher paper.

SPRING IN THE CITY

 

Before I get to my latest painting, I have noticed that this blog has been getting a lot of visits from people all over the world so I want to thank each and everyone of you. I hope you enjoy what you find and that you come back often!

Now that winter is a distant memory (or perhaps not so distant), weather has been warmer which has allowed my to explore a little of the area we now live in. On a warm cloudless day a week or so ago, we walked into the city taking note of interesting places to come back to. One was this building situated on the end of a block with a wonderful facade. I noted it was built with a pleasing combination of large red stone blocks and matching red brick. There were sculpted columns and gable head along with dragon head gargoyles! Beautifully arched windows finished off the front while the roof had decorative tiles and copper flashing. Most of these details continued along the longer side. I wanted to contrast the roof of the building with the deep blue sky behind and to include some of the trees newly in leaf. I often do a smaller study such as this mostly to see if it would be worth doing a larger painting. Size is 10 x 8 in (25 x 20 cm), oil on canvas board.

SANDERLING AT REST

 

Walking along the shore, I would often come across scenes like this. Sanderlings, either singly or in a group would run back and forth as the water surged and ebbed probing frantically with their bills in a sewing machine fashion. Then after feeding, a period of rest often followed where the birds would move higher up on the beach usually well away from the water and rest, occasionally preening. These times were the perfect opportunity for me to sit and draw them while they remained relatively still. This painting came from those studies. Here a single bird rests on one leg facing onto the wind in a pose that I hope captures something of its character. Size is 12 x 9 in (30 x 23 cm), watercolor on Strathmore paper.

ABANDONED

 

Now that I have my collection of ink pens at hand, I began thinking of doing something a little more complex and settled on this scene. I did a watercolor of this abandoned house that I saw on Lantau Island in Hong Kong some time ago and was pleased with the result. For this one I kept the composition a little simpler and tried to use the light and shadow to greater effect. The black areas were brushed in using ink then I began cross-hatching for the lighter areas. Details were either drawn in or stippled with various dots and dashes and for this I used a 0.8 mm pen. Size of this one is 11 x 8 in (28 x 20 cm), ink on paper.

ALONG THE ALGARVE VII

 

This was another of a series of paintings I did during our trip to the Algarve a few years ago. Like most of those studies, I kept it small. This one was more as an experiment to see if I would be able to capture something of what I saw on a bright but slightly overcast day. The rock formations of the area especially had really captured my artists' eye. In this backlit scene, it was mostly the color of the water that first attracted me to paint. During my first attempt, the water had somewhat eluded me so I recently repainted the sea and with a few other touch-ups here and there, I was finally happy with it. Size is 5 x 7 in (13 x 18cm), oil on canvas board.

YOUNG BALD EAGLE STUDY

 

Wanting to do a painting for a frame that I had lying around, I chose this portrait of a young Bald Eagle as my subject. Since the image would be quite small, I decided to concentrate on the head and shoulders of the bird. Using a smooth paper, I built up a series of washes for the background then started on the head. Usually I paint in the eyes first. If I can get these to look right, the rest of the painting follows along nicely (mostly)! I then continued onto the beak and finally the rather intricate plumage. Nearly all the head feathers were pale tipped so I tried to capture this feature in my painting. Finally after quite a lot of work, I felt that I had captured the essence of this very impressive bird and declared the work finished. Size is 7 x 5 in (18 x 13 cm), watercolor on Arches hot-pressed paper.

GREAT GREY OWL

 

Occasionally I like to try and keep up with my drawing skills - one way of doing this is using pen and ink. Obviously any mistakes will be clear to see so one has to concentrate quite acutely. I usually do a rough pencil sketch first then if all looks good, continue to fill in the details etc with ink. I used to do a lot of these types of illustrations and they have appeared in many books, magazines and bird reports etc. When successful, I get a very warm and satisfied feeling from looking at them. Now that I have all my studio equipment including my collection of ink pens out of storage, I'm sure I will do more of these. This one was done with an ultra fine point Sharpie which has permanent ink. Size is 8 x 5 inches (20 x 13 cm).