A New Season.

For a while it seemed that the winter storms would never end and that spring would never arrive? However! A glimpse of hope! The birds are singing and the primroses are beginning to bloom! I have even managed to get out and do some birding and sketching and after nearly getting the car stuck in a swollen river, the waters are beginning to subside in my part of the country! I have been busy with some studies of winter thrushes and blackbirds and I have re-visited some old drawings of waders in an effort to finish them off. I have a couple of events coming up towards the end of May at the RSPB and I am quite excited if a little nervous! I hope you like the drawings and sketches

Loose Ends.

First of all I want to draw attention to my up coming exhibition which will take place at RSPB RYE MEADS near Hoddesden Hertfordshire and runs from Sat 9th until Sun 17th November2013. The theme will be Autumn Migration, and I will have my latest works on display. I hope lots of people turn up and I hope you will come and say hi?
I particularly like autumn for the diversity of migrants that can turn up especially after an easterly or north easterly wind and I also love the vivid spectrum of brilliant hues that adorn the landscape and that give me much inspiration for my paintings and sketches! As well as watercolours I have been indulging in some coloured pencil drawings of some of the seasonal fruits that are abundant this year. I hope you enjoy looking at them?

IN SEARCH OF TURTLE DOVES.

IN SEARCH OF TURTLE DOVES.

These gorgeous birds are becoming increasingly scarce and I have found only very few this year. They still nest in one or two places in Hertfordshire and at Fowlmere in Cambridgeshire where I sometimes visit. I have seen them on the Norfolk coast and I was inspired to do some sketching with a view to presenting a finished watercolour to the RSPB in order to raise money for their appeal (operation Turtle Dove). I hope to do this soon with the co-operation of the staff at Rye Meads?(more on this later). I can not imagine the british countryside without the soft purring of Turtle Doves and if we were to lose this bird it would be a tragedy. I visited Pensthorpe in Norfolk recently where there is a captive breeding program and was immediately  transported back to my childhood and the seemingly endless summer days during school holidays. Its like the old saying 'you don't know what you've got till its gone?' Lets make sure this never happens?

Winter Wildfowl.

The season of frosts and snow sends us many visitors from the north to swell the ranks of numerous species of wildfowl that already call our islands home. I like to get out whenever I can to experience the drama and atmosphere that large flocks of birds create. The colourful plumage of many of these birds make wonderful subjects to paint and I have indulged myself with some of my favourite species in recent weeks. I love to see the birds in huge numbers out on the water or roosting on the shoreline but I prefer to paint them in small groups. I think this gives a more intimate portrait and allows more detail on small scale drawings, the birds themselves being allowed to fill up most of the composition. I hope you agree?


Shovelers.



Resting Wigeon.



Teal.



Tufties.



Browsing Mallard.



Drake Pintail.



Goldeneye.

Mellow moments.

After a visit to the Norfolk coast at the end of September I collected a few ideas and sketches of some of the birds I saw and came up with these watercolour impressions. It was an interesting weekend for a number of reasons not the least of which was the open day at Holme bird observatory where we watched a ringing demonstration and the emptying of a moth trap! Cley was the highlight for me and to see seven spoonbills flying around in procession over the reserve was quite magical! Wader spectacular at Snettisham and dancing Cranes at Welney are just some of the scenes that make Norfolk so brilliant for birding! Can't wait for my next visit!

Late Summer Musings.

I have to admit that I have'nt had much time to produce any new sketches recently or at least any worthy of posting! I have a ton of ideas in my head after a recent trip to Norfolk and I am just waiting for an opportunity to get started? This past weekend I was at RSPB Rye Meads reserve helping to celebrate it's 10th birthday along with the wonderful staff and volunteers that make this one of the finest reserves in the Lea valley. I was extremely privileged to meet David Lindo, the urban birder, and take in a walk with him and some of the staff to see some of the birds that had stopped by! Common Snipe, Green Sandpiper and Little Egret and an elusive Garganey? (I missed that one). Suffice to say that David was a perfect gent and fascinating to talk to. I managed to find a photo that someone had taken in the Draper hide (Louise I think?) although you can only see the back of my head? The other photo is of myself and Lynn in front of my display taken by Christine von Hagen. Many thanks for that Christine!


Myself (standing) and David Lindo at Rye Meads.



Lynn and I at my art display. Rye Meads birthday bash 2012.

Here are a few watercolours painted earlier this year from our previous visit to Norfolk.


Purple Sandpiper.



Oystercatchers.



Ringed Plovers.

And something from Dorset! A memorable holiday for all the wrong reasons? I picked up a virus and was quite ill for some time and even now have not fully recovered! The only compensation was finding four pairs of Dartford warblers on the heath in one fever filled afternoon near Wareham! By the end of the week I thought I was going to die?


Dartford Warbler. Wareham, Dorset.

MAMMALS.

First of all I would like to say a big thank you to all the staff at RSPB RYE MEADS for helping with my art exhibition and to all the nice people who came along to view my work even though the weather was so awful most of the time! I even managed to sell some paintings and the response I got was very positive and encouraging. Here's to the next one? Whenever that might be? I have to say I found it a bit of a strain and felt quite unwell after picking up a virus a few weeks ago! The doc sent me to the hospital for some blood tests and I await the results? All in all, under the circumstances I think the exhibition was a success?
I even managed to do some sketching and although birding was out of the question, I concentrated on mammals and especialy on the reserve's local fox family. The star of the show is a vixen called 'ALICE' and she was seen most days coming to the visitor centre for sandwiches and peanuts! She has a litter of six cubs and they put on a fantastic display for all the photographers. She is especialy adept at catching rabbits and is a very good mother.
I have included here some other mammals that I saw in Hampshire at a wildlife sanctuary and although not strictly speaking 'wild', I could'nt resist sketching them! Other stuff is from the archive and I thought it worthy of showing? I hope you approve?


ALICE.



ALICE WITH RABBIT.



ALICE.



FOX AND BLUEBELLS.

EUROPEAN OTTER.



SCOTTISH WILDCAT.

The Exhibition and display at Rye Meads.