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

[timwootton]

A little bit of painting, felt like doing acrylic. The sky is done, and now I just have to trace some black storks onto the paper and paint them in. But first beer and rugby beckon - a rugby match?! I hardly know myself anymore (well, the beer part sounds familiar!)

Anticipating a very nice painting from this beginning. Skies are, I'm at last starting to realise, such an important aspect of even the most intimate landscapes. We ought to start a 'Sky Study' thread - will make me pay more attantion, anyway.
Hope you enjoyed the rugger and didn't get chewed in the scrum - OOoooh!

 

[nickderry]

I survived the rugby, even if I didn't have the nerve to display my England t shirt openly, I also tried to sound extra French at the bar. Luckily after a few tequila slammers I was singing Jerusalem very loudly and wondering where all the french had gone. I could become intereted in sport if it's always as much drinking.

On the painting, nice and simple addition of a few black storks tomorrow morning and I'm done, I like these quick simple things!

 

[nickderry]

Black storks done, fiddly things!

 

[Andrew Ellis]

Whooo....w I can feel the lift from that thermal from here nick!
Beautiful piece

 

[timwootton]

Ooh - you clever lad!
Now if any image is ever going to inspire - here it is.

 

[spizaetos]

F-A- N -T- A -S -T -I- C!!!!

spizaetos

 

[Strandman]

Black storks done, fiddly things!

ooh that's both literally and metaphorically uplifting - and you've got the Pterodactyl look of Black Stork just right on those lower birds.

 

[Accipiter91]

Thats really cool, the birds are great and the sky looks wonderful!

 

[nickderry]

They never look remotely like what's in your head, but here's the mallards from the other day painted up. Must remember to get up in the morning and go birding. Feel like painting some redwings or woodlarks, so it'll be mallards again no doubt!

 

[Woody]

Nick, you really don't need 'great' birds to inspire your great work, under your brush and pencil the ordinary becomes extraordinary every time. The mallards are fab and I love the contrast in behaviors in the two paintings. One all frenetic action and the next quiet and peaceful.

And as for the storks! I can feel that thermal that they're climbing on, wonderful expression of freedom.

Hope the birding brings you something special!

Woody

 

[nickderry]

Nick, you really don't need 'great' birds to inspire your great work, under your brush and pencil the ordinary becomes extraordinary every time. The mallards are fab and I love the contrast in behaviors in the two paintings. One all frenetic action and the next quiet and peaceful.

And as for the storks! I can feel that thermal that they're climbing on, wonderful expression of freedom.

Hope the birding brings you something special!

Woody

Well if the birding's going to be good today, I suppose I should shift my a*se and go out! Daft as it sounds I'm really hoping to see a dunnock, never seen one in France!

 

[timwootton]

Nick, you really don't need 'great' birds to inspire your great work, under your brush and pencil the ordinary becomes extraordinary every time.

Woody

Resounding round of applause for that comment!

 

[nickderry]

The birding today was appalling, very nearly nothing at all. A few goosanders are back, and there were two little grebes and a flyover sparrowhawk, but otherwise I don't know why I was lugging my heavy heavy painting kit round with me today, I even painted a landscape because there really was rien rien rien

 

[dryslwyn]

You've made an awful lot out nothing! Lovely work - especilly the goosander.

 

[Dave B]

You've made an awful lot out nothing! Lovely work - especilly the goosander.

Agreed. Another really fine set of observations. Love the Goosanders especially.

Dave

 

[Andrew Ellis]

You've made an awful lot out nothing! Lovely work - especilly the goosander.

Just what I was thinking! well hate to be predictable but the Spar
is the one for me!

beautifully caught Nick.

Had one fly over the house on thurs carrying something
in its feet. It did the same, here's looking down on you kid, look.
Also watched a young male Peregrine today go into
an Oh my god !! stoop right across the sky over the house.
must of covered half a mile in seconds!!:eek!:what a bird.

sorry I will shut up now

 

[Woody]

Wish I could get work like this from a 'nothing' day.

Get spars flying over the garden a lot, even very occasionally in it. Once saw one which, I swear, was carrying a bit of KFC chicken! Must be that special blend of spices...

Biggest dissapointment with a spar was once last year. I was working in the 'studio' which is to say, the conservatory. Well involved in the painting I didn't even notice a female catching and eating a collared dove right behind me. It was only when I stood up to stretch my legs and turned around that I saw her as she flew up off of the remains of her prey. AAHHRRGGHH!

Woody

 

[buzzard12]

Tremendous stuff here Nick. Second goosander is particularily lovely. Being seeing a lot of migrating Sprawk's recently and have to say that is a field sketck of the highest order, shape is bang on. love the way youve treated the primaryies with just a hint of detail, so often they wat they appear when backlit against the sky.

...sitting here at the computer when i should be out birding, Cant decide on where to go today. Was thinking about a site called Angarn, though no reports of anything there for three days.(wondering if that is because nobody is there checking it or whether it is devoid of birds!)

 

[Andrew Ellis]

Wish I could get work like this from a 'nothing' day.

Get spars flying over the garden a lot, even very occasionally in it. Once saw one which, I swear, was carrying a bit of KFC chicken! Must be that special blend of spices...

Biggest dissapointment with a spar was once last year. I was working in the 'studio' which is to say, the conservatory. Well involved in the painting I didn't even notice a female catching and eating a collared dove right behind me. It was only when I stood up to stretch my legs and turned around that I saw her as she flew up off of the remains of her prey. AAHHRRGGHH!

Woody

Woody got to tell you about an inccident I had with a Lanner falcon
I had. Was flying her one afternoon , quite relaxed affair. I just used
to sit back and let her go off and thermal. She was a mature bird
and super reliable. I used to call her in when she was just a speck
in the sky just to see the stoop!
Anyway this particular day she Assended into the Gods and I lost
sight of her. Got the tracking gear out and the signal was weak.
half an hour passed and she had'nt returned. just as I was thinking
about trying to go and retreive my so called super reliable falcon!
The tracking gear burst into life again.

I searched the sky and sure enough the anchor shape speck
had returned . I shouted and threw out the lure.
She plumetted to earth coming in beautifuly.
as she got down to the last 100 ft I soon noticed something in her
feet!
She landed on the lure and let go of the object and started to feed
off the lure. Amazingly she had a big chunck of Spicey Chicken in her
possesion!!:-O

The only thing I can assume is she must have robbed some other bird of it
as There was a large landfill nearby. The Mr Kentucky really did come up with
an irrisistable recipe!!

 

[Andrew Ellis]

Sorry Nick for Hijacking your thread there! hope you don't mind.