Long time...
Oh my, it has been a long time since I was here last!! I have some serious catching up to do with all your folks great threads... But before I loose myself in your artworks, I thought to share some of what I have been up o these last few months...
The winter here in Rizhao/China has been dull, brown and dusty. The only birds active have been the black and white magpies, so nothing exciting happening there.
More interesting was the birds I was able to see on a vacation to Bali in February. I saw a few new species in the wild, and the ones I have been able to identify were: chinese or javan pond-heron, white-headed and white-rumped Munia, Cattle egret. Then we went to a bird park, and there were a lot of interesting birds to see. The one that I was most eager to see was the Balinese starling. It is a stunning white starling with blue markings around the eyes, and it is only found on Bali. Unfortunately it has become so rare, so the only place you can make sure to watch it, is in the bird park...
Now when the spring has been blossoming in bright white and a lot of pink here in the cherry gardens, I have seen two new birds; the Eye-broed-thrush, and what I think was a Blythis leaf warbler. I have seen several of the leaf warblers, but they are so incredible quick and shy, that I think that I can only identify the one as a blythis... They all look so alike for an amateur like me
And otherwise I have been painting and painting and trying to get ready for an exhibition back home in Finland in August. But as I am flying home already in the beginning of july, I have to have everything I want to take with me ready in two weeks time, so that they have time to dry before going in the suitcase...
It is an exhibition in a nature and bird art gallery in Inkoo, Finland. I will be exhibiting together with a sculptor, so her bird sculptures will occupy the tables and window niches, and my paintings will fill the walls. I am so exited for this exhibition, because it will be my first big exhibit since 2009...
I have got a few new paintings finished since january, so I will start sharing them:
The first to are Nuthatches. I made the second one first, and I sold it almost right away, and the buyer commissioned me for another to go with it. So he chose both the bird and the song in the background, and the first painting here is the result of that. #1: 'Song of the smith', oil and different papers on canvas, 25x17cm, #2: 'You are so beautiful to my eyes', same, same... The titles of the paintings are a translation of the song titles in the background.
The following two paintings of the european robin were my first paintings that I finished this year, and they were both kind of a struggle. They changed multiple times, and still I didn't succeed totally with what I had in mind from the beginning. But I thought that they will have to become what they are now, as they clearly didn't want 'to behave'... Maybe it was the colour green itself that caused me trouble. I'm not comfortable painting in green... Anyway: #3: 'My fathers land', oil and mixed media on canvas, 17x25cm. #4: 'Evening', oil and mixed media on canvas, 25x17cm.
The last painting is a Bullfinch because my mothered asked for one
They have been visiting her bird feeder this winter, and she thought their colours so beautiful so she suggested them as a motif for me. I had a lot of fun with the background, and there are many layers there, but it has to be seen in real life to see the depth of the layers. #5: 'Spring frost', oil and mixed media on canvas, 20x30cm.
This was it for now, more to come! C&C most welcome!!!