Welcome to Nick's dining room table. (1 Viewer)

[timwootton]

So it's a new species of shrike, that I shall name Derry's Winter Shrike - Pie-grièche d'hiver de Derry. Lanius hibernusderryii.
quote]

Not supposed to do that, by the way - awfully bad form, old bean.
Who was the chap which named a species after his dad so it could have his own name Linnaeified?

 

[solitaryVSong]

What a treat to see! As usual Tim says it all very well. If it weren't so rude I would just post a link to these over on the site that occasioned the 'devil in the details' thread. But it would be rude so I won't.

I do think it's unfair though that many of the people there, including the imperious author, don't seem to have experienced 'wildlife art' such as this. As many people have said these have 'life.' It hardly seems worth doing if you don't capture some sense of life.

Back to the subject at hand: for some reason my favorite is the same as Chrissy: the Merganser with the Heron in the background. I don't know that I've ever seen a Heron done with so few brushmarks and yet look so real. As I'm admiring that I get hit over the head by the foreground Merganser!

 

[nickderry]

Thanks for the comments everyone, Tim, as you pointed out that you found it hard to believe that it was my first experience with the species, you now get the treat of seeing what once was the same species, but is now either Southern/African Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis/excubitor koenigii or possibly algeriensis as they're supposed to be identical anyway. In short, a darker shrike that is a little less floppy and fluffy than Captain Excubitor, from Lanzarote in: first two, 1997, then 98, then 99 and the last page from Fuerteventura in 2000.

 

[nickderry]

and some paintings from the week so far, Water Pipit on a pile of poo in the snow, and a Green Wallcreeper.

 

[mattybohan]

Great images. Your work is always a treat.

 

[solitaryVSong]

That Green Wallcreeper is exceptional Nick! I can't remember if it was in your own thread or elsewhere recently that you said you wished you were braver in your work. To me this is a great example of braveness and creativity.

It has all the elements of abstraction and good design but all somewhat subservient to the bird and its surroundings. I think you construct an environment for your birds that is just so rich both abstractly and representationaly. If you just focus on small sections it's a rewarding abstract painting. But pull back and you see that it's a real scene. I could look at this for a good long time.

It seems like after the quiet of Christmas people are coming up with some really strong work in 2010.

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

love the greeny ,a new meaning to ground feeding

 

[colleenc]

these are pages to lift the spirits Nick!

 

[halftwo]

Awesome

 

[Strandman]

and some paintings from the week so far, Water Pipit on a pile of poo in the snow, and a Green Wallcreeper.

What a beauty of a Green Woodpecker. A nice recreation over my first vat of coffee of the morning has been to allow the eye to travel from tip of wing to shoulder and see how many colours are to be found there. Look forward to seeing it in the flesh in the Mall Galleries this sumer...

 

[solitaryVSong]

What a beauty of a Green Woodpecker. A nice recreation over my first vat of coffee of the morning has been to allow the eye to travel from tip of wing to shoulder and see how many colours are to be found there. Look forward to seeing it in the flesh in the Mall Galleries this sumer...

I guess I should have put together the little clues like the smiley after "Green Wallcreeper", the fact that I'd never heard of one even though I'd never heard of a Wallcreeper at all before joining this forum 9 months ago, and my vague recollection of seeing paintings of Green Woodpeckers to realize that that was the real subject of the painting, not the scarce Green Wallcreeper.

 

[ChrissyM]

They are beautiful ~ both of them
and I saw my first green woodpecker up close whilst sitting in a very cold hide at Severn valley park last week. I should have managed a photo. But, the green woodpecker is a bird that always has managed to elude me.
So, I was too busy really looking, they have an amazing eye stare don't they?

 

[nickderry]

They are beautiful ~ both of them
and I saw my first green woodpecker up close whilst sitting in a very cold hide at Severn valley park last week. I should have managed a photo. But, the green woodpecker is a bird that always has managed to elude me.
So, I was too busy really looking, they have an amazing eye stare don't they?

absolutely - the eye is so startling, I never know where to put it as I can only see that, and never the context of it. I love seeing plenty of Green Woodpeckers here, my boyfriend's parents have them nesting just behind the garden.

 

[Andrew H]

love all three nick, but best of all the 'pipit on poo'

 

[nickderry]

another two that I forgot to post - the RB Merganser getting jiggy with a disinterested female goosander, and some coot, just being coot.

 

[solitaryVSong]

Makes me want to take another 'snow day' and stay home and paint!

I especially like the coot being coot. At first you barely even see them and then they spring right up.

 

[ChrissyM]

I think we should have more snow days
I really love the heron and the jiggy Merganser, the light in that piece is gorgeous.

 

[nickderry]

I'd forget my head if it wasn't (very loosely) screwed on - Hen Harrier, was supposed to be a pure watercolour - then I royally messed up a part of it, acrylic to the rescue, but then that just looked wrong over the watercolour, so I had to knock back to clean paper using a bit of collage. Also got a better quality photo of one from a while back.

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

love the mood of these Nick

 

[sfrissell]

All great, Nick. I particularly like the Hen Harrier--great atmosphere. I saw a Northern Harrier here a day or two ago in atmosphere just like that. And "coots just being coots" is usually entertaining! You have caught them perfectly.
Sid