revivingKensArt (1 Viewer)

[Woody]

I can't believe how long it's been since I commented on this thread Ken, I'm guilty of watching and wondering and staying quiet I'm afraid.

The wren is my favourite of all the latest work, I love the simplicity.

Mike

 

[solitaryVSong]

I can't believe how long it's been since I commented on this thread Ken, I'm guilty of watching and wondering and staying quiet I'm afraid.

The wren is my favourite of all the latest work, I love the simplicity.

Mike

Thanks all. Mike, I confess, that every once in a while I prefer the simple ones myself. As you can probably guess by now I'm quite torn between simplicity and complexity.

As for the technical complexities of reduction lino I'm not at all a techincal person and have no patience for it. But I like the surprises that lino always throws up at me, especially with reduction linocut. So that's really my main reason for doing it. I'm really not a masochist!! (Though I should add that reduction lino is also called 'suicide printing,' because you sort of kill off each previous color as you go off to the next one). In any case I just do it because I like the results, not for any technical challenges.

Sketching outside recently as well as reading a number of books with artists who stressed field sketching has made me realize how much more there is to learn about the structure of birds. So here are a couple of pages of recent field sketches as well as some sketches based on photos I've taken.

A couple of white-throated sparrows with a Great Blue Heron field sketch, followed by a Great Blue Heron, just 6 feet away from me today walking through a swampy woods. Very odd to see them walking. I tried to capture the weird gait.

Sketches from photos are two Eastern Phoebes, followed by a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, which just seem impossible for me to capture when I see them live as well as a Cedar Waxwing. I never have time to study their bill and facial markings in field so that's pretty much what I tried to get here.

 

[solitaryVSong]

Adding another ballpoint pen sketch from a photo, one of the many Great Blue Herons that I've seen around here over the last year or two. This one was standing on a fallen beech along the Wissahickon, a nearby stream that I walk frequently.

 

[username]

Lovely structure and depth to that Heron pic Ken...the ball point gives great texture...

I like....!

All the best...

http://username-beast.blogspot.co.uk/

 

[mayoayo]

Hi Ken...Enjoying Your work as always..!..You keep fine-tunning the balance between stylization and naturalism with beautiful results..
Wonderful Sketches .............

 

[Bigshent]

A fine bit of contrast on the pen work ken and great field studies. It is something Im going to have a real go at this year. My speed drawing has improved vastly but my memory is that of a 90 year old. Sleeping birds it may be then :-O

 

[solitaryVSong]

Only a tiny bit of artistic liberty here in putting these six Northern Flickers on two trees rather than three. As fas as I can tell they were sunbathing in the 25 degree weather.

 

[ed keeble]

Only a tiny bit of artistic liberty here in putting these six Northern Flickers on two trees rather than three. As fas as I can tell they were sunbathing in the 25 degree weather.

brilliant- bang in the "a thing observed" tradition

reminds me a lot of pics of emerging dragonflies on reed stems

 

[solitaryVSong]

reminds me a lot of pics of emerging dragonflies on reed stems

I think you hit the nail on the head there Ed! And most likely they were doing it exactly for the same purpose: to warm up.

Not much in the way of field sketching today but here's day two of a larger watercolor of Song Sparrow on oakleaf in stream, based wholly on a photo I took last fall I think.

I continue to dabble with watercolor and rarely move beyond 9x12 inch paper. But this time I decided to be bold and go all the way up to 11x14 inch. I think I'll probably progess in this most difficult of media for me if I keep workng larger when I actually decide to work in watercolor. Despite my best intentions most of the white has disappeared as well as most of the individual brushstrokes I hoped to use.

 

[JTMB]

Nicely done and quite unique painting of the six Northern Flickers.

 

[solitaryVSong]

Some more winter birds: a study of Killdeer with Great Blue Heron in background, the earliest I've ever seen Killeer here, and a couple of Chipping Sparrows, which should not be here at this time of year but have been regulars in one area for the last two winters. The Killdeer is a small, quick study. The Chipping Sparrows is 12x12 inches.

 

[ARTHUR BISHOP]

Hi Ken had a good festive period . liking the new pieces.

 

[buzzard12]

Hi Ken had a good festive period . liking the new pieces.

Love the sparrow pair Ken..

 

[solitaryVSong]

Thanks Alan and Arthur.

Here's what I think is the final version of a more developed watercolor of the Killdeer and Great Blue Heron in the snow that I saw recently. There are things I can think to change in it but at this point I think that only makes sense in a new work. I'd best leave this one be.

 

[Bigshent]

I love the Sparrow piece Ken, lively painting B

 

[JTMB]

Nice job on the heron and killdeer, Ken. Looks like you guys picked up some of the snow from the big storm.

 

[solitaryVSong]

Thanks all. Not much snow here John but just enough to make that Killdeer look unusual!

The last four days were part of the Great Backyard Bird Count here, a mainly North American phenomenon I think but one that branched out globally this year. In any case I was out birding each day, and still recovering from yesterday's 5 hour walk.

For each day I did a small sketch of some sort to illustrate the day on my blog. Here are the three best: Merlin and Belted Kingfisher in same tree, Pied-billed Grebes, Common Mergansers and Black Vulture at Manayunk Canal, and my first Green-winged Teal of the year at Tinicum yesterday. All are quickly done, about 30 minutes or so.

 

[solitaryVSong]

Anyone who's followed my thread closely knows how exciting it is for me when spring and warblers roll around. It's been a constant quest to do them justice.

But back in early December I saw a warbler that shouldn't have been here at all. I did a quick watercolor and posted it without IDing. It was a Magnolia, which had no right at all to be here at this date.

Today my wife Jerene screamed out: GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW! That's not her usual tone. When I went down I found a warbler I couldn't ID. But whatever it was it shouldn't be here. It flitted about very quickly and allowed for two bad photos and a few good looks in binos, but only for a split second. This 5x7 watercolor is based on one of the photos, along with what I noticed through binoculars: a Nashville Warbler, with brilliant yellow underside.

There was a big storm recently from the west and I've read that they migrate up the Mississippi not along the Atlantic Coast. Maybe that blew him over here. Who knows but he was a great surprise.

 

[solitaryVSong]

Just found out that the Nashville Warbler above set some sort of record for local birds. Just wish I'd done a better version. Maybe soon.

In the meantime here's three new, or reworked, watercolors for a group show that starts on Sunday, and will surely sell nothing! Still it gives me the incentive to try something new.

The Killdeer and Great Blue Heron was composed from two birds I'd seen in near proximity in the snow. Cape May Warbler is almost entirely from a photo and the Northern Shovelers pretty much the same. Cape May was seen a few springs ago at Magee Marsh in Ohio and the Shovelers at Brigantine last fall.

 

[Bigshent]

A great gaggle of paintings Ken but the Shovelers win for me :t: