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Wilde about Bird Art (1 Viewer)

deborah4

Well-known member
It's all ''quite useless'' but there's nothing like a bit of foreign travel and a few weeks off work to wet the palette again. I was working in Greece back in April (mig.survey) for a few weeks but found a little time for a few sketches so when I get time, I'll try and upload a few. Some from initial obs others worked up a bit from photos/memory. It's going to be slow since I have little time but one to be going on with ... I'll probably do a few more as the months progress too (depending on my mood!)
 

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well, what a return to form - that's one of the storkiest storks I've seen for a while - they're so difficult to get right, you've got it to a tee! great stuff
 
Great to see you back on the dark side with all us other miscreants!

Like Nick says-What a return!

Mike
 
Ha! maybe I've attended too many art schools, :) realism to me means it looks like what it actually is ie a stork not a staircase. I guess there is a spectrum tho, from photo realism to the lovely free work you show here. Looks like you're having a ball painting, it's full of energy and verve.
 
There was a constant call of Cuckoos (and Hoopoes!) and plenty seen on surveys. Wonderful, especially considering their sad promotion to status 'Red' in the UK recently. Original sketches were sketchy to say the least but later colour worked one up a bit (too much!) - was very much out of practice mmm....
 

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a couple more from the sketchpad - having a few problems with my new scanner it's taking ages to try and get a half decent scans on some of these.

The marshes surrounding the lake were a cacophony of frogs and GRWs. That and the croaking of Nightingales, was enough to start me coughing to clear my own throat. Occasionally obliging, most of the time, it was hard work spotting the croakers as they blended in so well in the deep rushes! (Didn't have a scope with me btw, so the sketching was mostly guesswork and impressions - followed invariable by an undisciplined overworking some of them later in the evening with a miniature watercolour box! Might make something more detailed of some of these in the future). Storks were nesting on telegraph pole right near the balcony and active late into the evening - wonderful!
 

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Impressions - especially the storks that are so much more honest than trying to be 100% accurate. You're spoiling us now! (any more??? *crosses fingers*)
 
Impressions - especially the storks that are so much more honest than trying to be 100% accurate. You're spoiling us now! (any more??? *crosses fingers*)

yes! 145 species seen in a fortnight and a fair few sketches - It's taking ages to sort my scanner out though - some it likes, some it definately doesn't. One of the problems is my sketchbook is a little large for the scanner and I can't close the lid which it's objecting to!! I should probably spending time doing this and actually do a proper painting from one of them ... one day maybe .. I also have nearly 250 photos!!!!!

One of my favorite photos of the trip: (might try a painting from this one)
 

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good good - love the stilt that's just popped up! I'll be patient for the rest then if the scanner's playing up.
 
even more appearing - moire superb stilts - you've got the jizz spot on here, and the wood sand photo is adorable.
 
Stilts and storks are the pick of an excellent bunch. I like them particularly because you've just got'em down ot the paper without faffing around with extraneous detail.

This is a lovely thread to watch btw.

Mike
 
More impressions from 'Wilde Greece'

It's strange isn't it how impressions of a place sorts of gets clearer as there's more distance and time involved. Perhaps too, there's a filtering process and the lasting impressions are the most real. Maybe this is a better way to experience something - rather than paying too much attention to details of how one spent each minute of the day - probably just as well judging from my Sketchbook - Big on impressions and very short of details!!

My first impression of course, after the culture shock of arriving in the small rural Greek community of Megalohori, was the heat of the late afternoon and half a dozen pairs of nesting White Stork that I could see from the balcony of my lodgings, massive birds perched on massive piles of sticks, balanced precariously on the wooden and rather antiquidated telegraph poles linking the shamble of small holdings to the world at large. The Lake itself was joy to behold, with a backdrop of the ever changing colours of the mountains, the blackness of the dying trees swamped by rising water levels over the years, and the deep dusky pink of the water foliage spread throughout the marshy areas. It's a Ciconiforme paradise - but I'll get to that:

I only saw briefly the one Black Stork flying over towards the end of my stay. There were no others in the area - Sketch book is getting decidedly messier as long afternoons of hot sun, many many birds and too many stuffed vine leaves take their toll on my energy levels (and that's after walking 5 kilometres every day on the morning transcepts!)

(thanks everyone for your kind comments - and another WS for Tim)
 

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Not sure if they do Oscars for art (ok they don't), but certainly would be deserving one if they did .... very nice indeed ;)

(Funnily enough just been trying to photograph a confiding Hoopoe on the lawn, don't think I'll be posting any pics or sketches lol, but I might give it a try - I'm sure any attempt at realism is more likely to be a little surreallist...)

Excellent :t: .
 
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