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

[buzzard12]

Cant take my eyes of your thread for a day without missing, what is it, 6 finished paintings? Will post you some more Sangria, seems to give your brushes a turbo painting effect!
Love the Grebes, second one works best for me due to the lighter toned greens and more detailed black necks. Wrens are utterly fantastic, Wow, the piece reminds me of Robert Gillmore a lot. Superb!
Canvases are special too, like the jackdaws most, but all are really a huge success.
Also have a great deal of admiration for the Black Kite colour sketch, a little jewel there.
In the time its taken me to type this you have probably banged out another!
Anyhow, great stuff!

 

[Mabel]

Nick-I want what you are on, cos that just rocks!

 

[nickderry]

You don't want the sangria, it was a bit like orange juice with nurofen in it! Pisang Ambon with Orange is what I'm on at the moment, and banging out some crag martins whilst getting sllllliiiiiiiiiightlyyyyy tiiipsy.B

Nick-I want what you are on, cos that just rocks!

 

[nickderry]

here are the crag martins, bright and bold, but already there's that niggling feeling that it should look different!

 

[Andrew Ellis]

Wow nick! nice piece. love the fact you,ve got martins diving in all
directions. wonderful birds. Lets face it very few of us are
completely happy with paintings we do, aways wondering if we
should change this or that. Also felling that it does,nt quite look
how we thought it would. Its a wonderful piece the only
small crit I would have is with the bird diving out the bottom
of the painting. but thats just my opinion and someone
will probably put me right!

 

[nickderry]

Wow nick! nice piece. love the fact you,ve got martins diving in all
directions. wonderful birds. Lets face it very few of us are
completely happy with paintings we do, aways wondering if we
should change this or that. Also felling that it does,nt quite look
how we thought it would. Its a wonderful piece the only
small crit I would have is with the bird diving out the bottom
of the painting. but thats just my opinion and someone
will probably put me right!

I'd puzzled over whether or not to keep that one in the picture, in the end I decided to keep it in to try and add to the confusion, I agree that it breaks the 'sweep' of birds that would have been a bit more pleasing to the eye had I took it out, but I decided, right or wrong, to forget aesthetics and try to to do what the birds were doing - sending my eyes in all directions. I may do another version with a more detailed background, a bit of birds in landscape type thing.

 

[deborah4]

Probably rather cheeky for me to comment now, considering my lack of input elsewhere, so apologies! I love the Crag Martin piece Nick - it generates a real feeling for someone looking at this painting of actually watching birds - like a shared sense of space - if that makes any sense? For me, it's largely because of the unusual, slightly uncomfortable composition - although, and just a personal thought, I might change the diving foreground bird so it's at a slightly more foreshortened or more tilted wing angle and not quite so 'flat on' - but then, who am I to comment i wonder!!

 

[sunriseworkshop]

I like it. You know, the birds don't always do things that are "artful", but it really looks as though you've captured them well. It's nice and loose which helps depict how busy the birds are.

 

[nickderry]

Well, I've been busy again, and instead of packing my suitcase ready for coming back to Britain for a few weeks on Sunday, I've been painting again (I sense a mad packing rush coming on soon!). These storks have been waiting to be painted since April, I may yet crop the picture further, but for the moment I'll leave it be.

 

[kittykat23uk]

Beautiful work! Will you be showing at the bird fair?

 

[Strandman]

Well, I've been busy again, and instead of packing my suitcase ready for coming back to Britain for a few weeks on Sunday, I've been painting again (I sense a mad packing rush coming on soon!). These storks have been waiting to be painted since April, I may yet crop the picture further, but for the moment I'll leave it be.

Strong vote for not cropping! The looong horizontal axis is one of the things that makes it IMHO.

I've pondered for a moment on why it is that I like this one and the heron in post #317 of this thread close to most of all- it's something about the colours in them both. Something slightly understated and creamy I think compared to other work, but if that sounds like a restaurnat review I will stop there.

 

[timwootton]

Another stunning piece Nick - composition is alive and beautifully balanced and the birds are just as they should be.

 

[nickderry]

Thanks for the comments,

Kittykat, sadly won't be at the bird fair, one day, one day (when I can afford it)

Ed, If I cropped it would be a slither of foreground that goes, keeping the horizontal, but then at the same time, I think it needs a bit of height to keep the impression of the storks dropping in from somewhere. I agree, the colours look better when I mix them with white, it's also easier to keep 'clean'.

Tim, If you say the composition is balanced too, then I'll agree with you and Ed and not crop.

Might paint a lesser pecker today, but then I suppose I should really pack my suitcase.

 

[Strandman]

Thanks for the comments,

Kittykat, sadly won't be at the bird fair, one day, one day (when I can afford it)

Ed, If I cropped it would be a slither of foreground that goes, keeping the horizontal, but then at the same time, I think it needs a bit of height to keep the impression of the storks dropping in from somewhere. I agree, the colours look better when I mix them with white, it's also easier to keep 'clean'.

Tim, If you say the composition is balanced too, then I'll agree with you and Ed and not crop.

Might paint a lesser pecker today, but then I suppose I should really pack my suitcase.

Sadly you might need an LSW pic to remind you what they look like if you are going to be over in UK for a bit..

I always think there's a birder versus artist angle to that foreground question. Just personally, I like bird pics to have a bit more foreground and than a pure artist might allow, to create that birder's sense that you are looking at the birds from a distance and not standing right next to them..

As ever, just my musings.

 

[nickderry]

Still no suitcase packed, but at least I've located my clothes now. Here's the LSW that kept me from what I was supposed to be doing:

 

[nickderry]

whoops, realised the poor bird has a double chin! Better get rid of that!

 

[dryslwyn]

Lovely work Nick. I like the stork picture as it is- leave it alone! Hope you have a good journey- we've had some sunshine this week - hope it stays dry for you and you get some Welsh birding done.

 

[timwootton]

Congratulations on the 10,000 mark, Nick - an excellent thread with inspirational work. Look forward to thousands more!!!

 

[nickderry]

Congratulations on the 10,000 mark, Nick - an excellent thread with inspirational work. Look forward to thousands more!!!

Woo hoo! I hadn't even noticed the tally. Despite being sat up till 4am painting with a tiny tiny (number 2 is tiny to me) brush. Sounds like a rivetting night for a 24 year old, but now all I have to do is to paint some branches and I'll have finished the Cirl Buntings. Still haven't started my packing and we leave in less than 24 hours.

 

[Woody]

Have a great trip Nick. The sun is still shining here-just in time for my hols week after next!

Lovely 'pecker by the way (Ooerr Missus!)

Woody