Wings Over Winecountry, Colleen's place (4 Viewers)

Planets in Alignment: I'd been debating getting a WN watercolor field box; yesterday I got a DickBlick catalog with 10% off; Tim and Colleen both suggested I try a field box. So I ordered one yesterday and hope to have it soon.

Thanks to you both for your suggestions! I think seeing such accomplished watercolor fieldsketches here has really been a great impetus toward me deciding I needed to try real watercolors in the field.

http://greenplanetfilms.org/product_info.php?products_id=104

I found a blog today that mentioned a DVD of artists who painted in a rainforest, Lars Jonsson was one of them, and it shows him painting on site along with 9 other top bird artists. I ordered it, and found the distributor is only a few towns away, so I should have it soon. Maybe everyone here knows this already, if not I'll post a review...

I saw a clip of the dvd at the british birdfair many years ago, I didn't get the dvd, but I did buy the book, which Lars not only signed, but actually scribbled a hummingbird in there, as did Mike Warren, Bruce Pearson and Denis Clavreul. My prize possession!

nickderry said:

I saw a clip of the dvd at the british birdfair many years ago, I didn't get the dvd, but I did buy the book, which Lars not only signed, but actually scribbled a hummingbird in there, as did Mike Warren, Bruce Pearson and Denis Clavreul. My prize possession!

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And I can see why it would be your prize possession! Thanks for the link Colleen.

here it is from "Treasures of the Forgotten Forest", an excellent book that was published with the DVD. I'm sure technically I'm not allowed to post this for copyright reasons, but if any of the artists who were so kind to sign the book would like me to scribble something and sign it, and then post it all over the internet, I'd be more than happy to oblige - I'd probably be ecstatic!

That is really tremendous Nick!

colleenc said:

http://greenplanetfilms.org/product_info.php?products_id=104

I found a blog today that mentioned a DVD of artists who painted in a rainforest, Lars Jonsson was one of them, and it shows him painting on site along with 9 other top bird artists. I ordered it, and found the distributor is only a few towns away, so I should have it soon. Maybe everyone here knows this already, if not I'll post a review...

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Looking forward to the review! At 1 hour and 20 some minutes it looks like it might be long enough to really be rewarding.

The book sells used in US for $140 and up........

solitaryVSong said:

Looking forward to the review! At 1 hour and 20 some minutes it looks like it might be long enough to really be rewarding.

The book sells used in US for $140 and up........

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That's quite some value! Let's hope the council tax bill isn't high enough to mak me think about selling it!

well the DVD with shipping and tax( the company is in CA and so am I) was only $32, I'd love to see the book, I'll try my library search...they get me things from all over the US...so maybe...thanks for sharing Nick.

just got a email from the DVD people, wow, they've had a lot of people check it out from this thread, they are very nicely going to give BF people some kind of break...check on the site, and they sent me a link to a new Artists in Nature book coming out with Bateman and some others, but what is really worth seeing there is the the "Fighting Male Capercaille" by Dag Peterson and a portrait by Bateman of a Lammergeier have to scroll down for these.

Do the experts here know who Dag Peterson is? I'd love to see more, it's a bit detailed for me, but he is fantastic.

http://www.artistsfornature.com/Projects/10

Great link - I've been there before, but another visit is surely worthwhile. I'm particularly fond of Greg Poole's work - I wish I could have given him my recent wryneck to do, and then let me sign it! It's all great though!

They look like woodcuts to me, if they are he's quite accomplished, but honestly Nick I like your work much better, must be the painter in me

As a note Green Planet where the DVD comes from, said that book and Dvd sales raised $300.000 USD for the forest, and it goes a long way in Ecudor. They also said the film shows the whole exhibit, and the book, so I'll be able to see it if I cant read it.

Been out looking at Dag Petersons work on the internet, not a good way to really see the work, but all one can do. Have to say the Capercaille work is more alive and beautifully painted than all the pages of other work I saw. He really knows his stuff and is very accomplished, but it is rather hard edged and a bit stiff compared to that work, maybe I was looking at earlier work.

colleenc said:

Been out looking at Dag Petersons work on the internet, not a good way to really see the work, but all one can do. Have to say the Capercaille work is more alive and beautifully painted than all the pages of other work I saw. He really knows his stuff and is very accomplished, but it is rather hard edged and a bit stiff compared to that work, maybe I was looking at earlier work.

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Glad you made that revelation yourself, Colleen.
Don't forget the crit od the dvd.

colleenc said:

just got a email from the DVD people, wow, they've had a lot of people check it out from this thread, they are very nicely going to give BF people some kind of break...check on the site, and they sent me a link to a new Artists in Nature book coming out with Bateman and some others, but what is really worth seeing there is the the "Fighting Male Capercaille" by Dag Peterson and a portrait by Bateman of a Lammergeier have to scroll down for these.

Do the experts here know who Dag Peterson is? I'd love to see more, it's a bit detailed for me, but he is fantastic.

http://www.artistsfornature.com/Projects/10

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Not so sure about da man Dag- but its nice to be reminded of the treasures of Artists for Nature Foundation. If I had to take one book to a desert island (along with the complete works of Raymond Chandler) it would have to be AFN's Portrait of a Living Marsh.

ed keeble said:

If I had to take one book to a desert island (along with the complete works of Raymond Chandler) it would have to be AFN's Portrait of a Living Marsh.

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I'm always amazed at the wealth of resources that are mentioned on this forum, especially artists I don't know and books I don't know. Thanks for the Portrait of a Living Marsh suggestion Ed!

Just spent 45 min on a friend's high speed computer, the only way I can see art from a site like AFN...now I have begun to acquire a taste for Poole, seeing more of his work, and the site has a list of links to all the artists, also enjoyed the webstore, where you can see the books published, then go back to the list of projects and see the art. Unfortunatley didn't see any for the Portrait of a Living Marsh.

Jonsson's work always stands out for his light, wonder how he does that....

I got the DVD linked in the posts before this one where you can find where to get it. Here is my review

TEN DAYS TO PAINT THE FOREST narrated by Bruce Pearson,

The film covers the trip into the dry forests of Ecuador and Peru arranged for a number of artists from the Artists for Nature Foundation, to document this very special place, blending the art with nature photography and background on the environment and what is currently being done to help preserve it.

It starts with a very pixelated flight of a Ecudoran Condor while impressive it's very low quality and I was worried about the rest, but thankfully as they get on the ground things improve to near National Geograhical standards. This is not a slickly produced show, much more a documentary style. One has time to really get a feel for the place, and the information is sufficient, but not overwhelming. Lots of shots of the rare birds, and some mammals.

The best bit for me was seeing the artists at work, not enough of this for sure, but enough to be worth buying the DVD. There are several pieces by Lars, shown in progress, and he speaks really excellent English with almost no accent. He speaks about what he's doing and why he's making certain decisions in the work. And its a rare treat to look over his shoulder when he shows how he's trying to paint iridescent areas on a hummingbird

Another highlight is an excellent 3 min speech by Pearson on how one tries to get the field sketch to work and what it's for and how the artist is different than the photographer. Work by the Russian and Denys, is also instructive....

All in all I give it 5 stars for art content, and working in the field. And tho it's not the TV style of quick clean edits, I like the way it lingers on paws and bits here and there without interruption of narration....

I'm glad to have it and will def watch it many times, the index makes it very easy to find the artist you want and describes what they are doing, which was a very thoughtful way to make the scene selection, instead of the usual chapter thing.

the link is buried so far back I almost didn't find it, so here it is http://greenplanetfilms.org/product_info.php?products_id=104

Thanks for the review Colleen,

I'm definitely interested but have to check my finances after recent field box purchase...

this is def a frill, I'd get one of the Jonsson books frist, but for me, wanting to get some handle on the watercolors so I can keep more than I throw away ( right now 9 out of ten are binned) it was great to actually see how LJ and the others build a painting in the field I would pay for a dvd to see Tim in action too, but there isn't one