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Favourite Bird Artist (2 Viewers)

Botaurus said:
Neat finnish painter. The one with the cartoon ducks is cute. The baroque barnyard and gamebird paintings remind me a lot of Melchior Hondecoeter, had finnland a lot of duch influence?
As a parttime artist myself I don't know much about theory ;) I guess lot of influence in those times of Finnish national romanticism in late 19th century came from German speaking Welt. Von Wright brothers published also several scientific papers at their times, and during last two decades at least two bird books based on their works have been published in Finland.

Botaurus said:
So have you a clue what the huge bird in the lower center of the garden (the sociable brown job that stuffs the berry in the human's mouth) is? My husband and me are of very different oppinions about it and could do with an unbiassed third opinion....

Sonja
First it appears like an Ornithorhynchus, but my identification is that it must be based on female Anas platyrhynchos.
 
For me it has to be Ian Lewington, followed by John Gale and Michael Warren. I also like the work of Clive Byers very much too.
 
Karwin said:
As a parttime artist myself I don't know much about theory ;) I guess lot of influence in those times of Finnish national romanticism in late 19th century came from German speaking Welt. Von Wright brothers published also several scientific papers at their times, and during last two decades at least two bird books based on their works have been published in Finland.

Oh late 19th they are! Strange the farm scenes have such a substancial baroque air then, recalling Hondecoetter or even Bogdani. Our romantics seem quite different to me, usually more idealized and all about light and symbolic purposes. :h?:

I dabble in arts and crafts too, but am better at studying art history I fear than at drawing anything naturalistic really well enough myself I could confront people with it :eek!:


First it appears like an Ornithorhynchus, but my identification is that it must be based on female Anas platyrhynchos.

Mallard? Hmmmm...
My Karl insists it is a misshappen Bombycilla of sorts, just for the behavior of passing on food to a other critter's mouth, but I miss the yellow and red accents I am sure he would have added if that was meant. I just do not know what to think, at this weird bill to go with the the not at all ducklike posture, but then in a world where ocassionally humans may have plum heads, any bird could borrow a ducks bill. Anyway, if truely a duck, i'd rather tend to Anas strepera at this huge white patch...

Sonja
 
Botaurus said:
My Karl insists it is a misshappen Bombycilla of sorts, just for the behavior of passing on food to a other critter's mouth, but I miss the yellow and red accents I am sure he would have added if that was meant. I just do not know what to think, at this weird bill to go with the the not at all ducklike posture, but then in a world where ocassionally humans may have plum heads, any bird could borrow a ducks bill. Anyway, if truely a duck, i'd rather tend to Anas strepera at this huge white patch...

Sonja
The bird looks like a duck, but the behaviour (berry passing) may be observed with Bombycilla as You say. It is also true that the white strepera patch is there; I suggested platyrhynchos just based on an assumption it having been also those days the common Anas near farmyards.
 
Karwin said:
I suggested platyrhynchos just based on an assumption it having been also those days the common Anas near farmyards.

As I was told, Tadorna tadorna was most prized as domestic meat duck in the middle ages, and their genes dominate today's white domestic duck. This would als explain why the huge chunky local mallard bastards with escaped domestic ducks tend to have combinations of a most distinctive neck ring and white mottled chest or fully white frontpatch with raspberry red feet or a green reflection in other dark parts of the coat than the head. They are also fairly common in only somewhat later reaissance painting. Of course, our bird here is quite surely none of those.... but this is also a rather interesting thing about non-scientific old bird painting. There are even birds already looking a lot like our most fancy and weird escapee-mongrells here in the Lake harbors.

For example of oddy-ducks, see http://www.mfah.org/collection.asp?par1=8&par2=&par3=34&par6=3&par4=171&lgc=4&currentPage=1 , and zoom in on that large red-legged duck with the wig-like curly extention to the head coat, lower left corner. What on earth is this? I once encountered a life free bird at an area yacht harbor within a mallard flock, that is an almost perfect match, but no depiction in any serious birding manual.

At http://cgfa.sunsite.dk/h/p-hondecoeter1.htm is an other painting from around 1680, where male Anas clypeata and male Anas penelope seem to find a bit comfort together in a dry "barnyard" full of huge peafowl. I guess this must have rather been birds of a nobleman collector than a farmers usual stock of the times, tho...
 
If anyone wants to look at wildlife art on the web check out this site http://www.natureartists.com/artists/
Some excellent, some good, some OK, some not so good, some not worth bothering with, but all a lot more interesting than work!

One of the best on the site IMHO is Michael Dumas.

Woody
 
Botaurus said:
For example of oddy-ducks, see http://www.mfah.org/collection.asp?par1=8&par2=&par3=34&par6=3&par4=171&lgc=4&currentPage=1 , and zoom in on that large red-legged duck with the wig-like curly extention to the head coat, lower left corner. What on earth is this? I once encountered a life free bird at an area yacht harbor within a mallard flock, that is an almost perfect match, but no depiction in any serious birding manual.
It does have some Tadorna looks on Anas platyrhynchos. I recall having seen domestic ducks with a crest like that. Last weekend I saw a flock of 11 platyrhynchos on the sea, and at least two of them were melanistic with white breast (a bit like this one that I saw last spring).

Very interesting paintings.
 
Karwin said:
It does have some Tadorna looks on Anas platyrhynchos. I recall having seen domestic ducks with a crest like that. Last weekend I saw a flock of 11 platyrhynchos on the sea, and at least two of them were melanistic with white breast (a bit like this one that I saw last spring).

Melanism as in the face of the depicted duck I understand, sort of. Human encouraged it by selective breeding, and those with such human-breed all white escapee ancestors are likelier to show some of it. As our human forebearers really liked to have white fowl, we have got so many wild ducks with white accents where should be none now.
But what about the showy "hairdo"? There are many ducks that come with natural hoods of different forms, but I thought an Aythya, Mergus or Aix can not interbreed with dabblers. :h?:
 
Woody said:
If anyone wants to look at wildlife art on the web check out this site http://www.natureartists.com/artists/
Some excellent, some good, some OK, some not so good, some not worth bothering with, but all a lot more interesting than work!

One of the best on the site IMHO is Michael Dumas.

Woody

What a nice site, Woody!
This might get me accused of purely national preference, but I am most impressed by the surreal paintings of Harro Maass, that seem more about wildlife art as such than just wildlife. The picture with the shorebirds gathering on the easel is fascinating.
Also, I think that Diane Burns is phantastic. An unusual challenging technique...
 
Evening all , I have to say that my favourite bird artists are ....( roll of drums ! ) C F Tunnicliffe , Arthur Singer , Rev. F.O.Morris ( for the naiveity ) and a aquaintance of mine called Mark Chester , excellent birds and a damn good all round wildlife artist ( do NOT confuse with Mark . I . Chester , who I do not associate with AT ALL !! )

Ashley
 
Forgot to mention ( especially as I have 2 of his prints ) Edward Lear , Gannets and Snowy Owls , seems I agree with James Armstrong on this and Rev F.O.Morris , of whose I have 3 prints !!

Ashley
 
A Newby to this Forum (Bird Artists)

This is my first post on this site. I simply love to collect books and prints of birds and wildlife (the older the better). But I am a bargain hunter as well as a cheapskate when possible (actually always). Although I am from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Audubon did live up the road from me in St. Francisville for a time many years ago I'm not a big fan of his art works. I know it is really old "hat" and most of his prints are beyond our means but I really do love John Gould prints. Since I can't afford to buy any of his prints from the hummingbird series or the Birds of Australia or New Guinea I have purchased some older books that contain all the prints from these series from the 1960's at a good price. I do have about 6 original lithos from Goulds Birds Of Great Britain along with their description pages (3 of shore birds and 3 of game birds) left to me from my Aunt from England, which probably got me interested in birds and wildlife. All in all I'm not crazy about bird photos, I like paintings or lithos.

Check this artist - http://www.murrellbutlerstudio.com
 
I can´t believe nobody has mentioned Guy Tudor, he´s IMO the best illustrator for bird ID books. His paintings on Neotropical birds are simply the BEST.
 
There are so many that one could pick that it's an impossible task! Audubon for his decorative beauty - not everyone's taste but you have to view tham in the context of his time. Warren for his similarly gorgeous eye for attractive design. Enion for the purity of his line. Daly for the lightness of his brush work. Jonsson for the deft way his birds look alive yet somehow detailed (even when they're not). Peter Hayman for the detailed accuracy of his work. Killian Mullarney and, let's not forget, Dan Zetterstrom for the stunning practicality and beauty of the Collins guide (although their non-illustrative work is better). Peter Scott for the atmosphere. Keith Brockie for the magic of the fleeting moment. Oh and about a dozen more that don't come to mind. The one name I'm surprised to see mentioned, and more than once, is that of Arthur Singer whose work I have oft subjected to the ultimate slur - I reckon that (on a good day) I could do better! John
 
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