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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Mike's conservatory (3 Viewers)

You really have some beautiful sketches here! I also like the Whitethroats, full of life and drawn from many different (and difficult!) angles. My favourite is probably the Lapwing portrait. It is also one of my favourite species, and sadly a species in big trouble here in Norway. It has almost disappeared completely from several areas in the South.
 
Recent work here is outstanding Mike, a special word for the Balck naped Oriole, a fantastic painting, love the shapes formed by the foliage which leads you into the painting and eyes moving over the whole...

Your ability to paint grass makes me very envious indeed and Pheasant is a winner...

Great fieldwork and a little punt for that gorgeous Little Owl with head tucked away;)
 
fabulous! painting outside - and you see how much you've got done in the field here - pages and pages of curiosity satiated with strong lines and movement - excellent.
 
Love the pheasant. I've tried this subject three times with mixed results. It's such a compelling subject, I'm sure I'll try again. Great job!
 
I certainly missed a great deal of excellent work since I last commented. The Shoveler is really nicely done - perfect capture of a very common pose they stay in quite a bit.
 
So it's still raining...As it has been since last night really! Very dull, grey, cold, wet conditions this morning couldn't have been more of a contrast to the bright, sunny, warm/hot conditions of last week.

Last week I had my best short eared owl encounter yet, with a hunting bird as it quartered the reedbed close by the hide. This being the best views of short eared owl in flight I've yet to have I'm afraid that my camera went into overdrive and the poor ol' sketchbook got rather neglected. I did get one or two sketches down, when the bird stopped and posed a while on the ground and a post out of range of the camera but not the scope.

This week there was no sign of seo, or much else for that matter. The closest thing to the seo was a distant barn owl struggling against the heavy drizzle and biting winds. Harriers were visible from the Capel Fleet viewing mound though and, despite the rain and cold hands, I managed to salvage one sketch from an otherwise dismal day.

I'd spent Saturday painting a whitethroat in Hawthorn blossom, obviously inspired by my previous week's sketching session, but once my household chores were over for today I wanted to have a crack at something different. I'm in the middle of planning a large painting but it's not at painting stage yet and I wanted to paint. So, inspired by the weather and Clive Meredith's recent return to oils, I dug out the white spirit and oils and this little painting was the result. I like oils and I want to use them more but it's rare that I can pluck up the courage to not paint in acrylics where I feel comfortable. This little duckling (everybody say ahh!) may just have begun to break down that barrier for me if I stick to baby steps.

Right, off to see what's going on with y'all now.

Mike
 

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Ahh!! Well, the duckling IS really cute! You captured the softness of him beautifully!
Owls are bizarre creatures aren't they? You can se them from behind and from the front at the same time so to speak when they turn their heads like that... ;)
 
JennyMK said:
Ahh!! Well, the duckling IS really cute! You captured the softness of him beautifully!
Owls are bizarre creatures aren't they? You can se them from behind and from the front at the same time so to speak when they turn their heads like that... ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks Jenny

Extra vertebrae in their necks and forward only facing eyes add up to something a bit special when the turn their heads round that way!

Mike
 
that little duckling what a cracker,there is some great work on your blog mike that was always great to follow especially for someone like me who has great expections but finds it difficult to pick up a pencil.All the best mike George.
 
All very nice Mike. Your return to oils seems pretty seamless. And as you know I'm always partial to your fieldsketches.

Was out briefly this morning before we imported your cold and wet weather and saw some very similar ducklings. Must be that time of year.
 
Finished the whitethroat today. Nice to go from the experience to the finished painting within a fortnight. Gotta love a Bank Holiday weekend!

Mike
 

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Outstanding, A Bank Holiday weekend, and you start getting prolific by 'knocking out' two masterpieces.....I hope Nick doesnt think you're after his title of prolificness..(?)

Note to self, Must make a start on that Sloe Gin........
 
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