Bird: Andrew Zuckerman
I love this stunning doorstop of a book:
It's filled with images in the same style as the cover - spectacular portraits of an array of birds against a blank white background (such as the image of the Blue-fronted Amazon, below). It allows you to really focus on the beautiful designs and details of each unique species, with no distractions - just clean, crisp photos and wonderful compositions which capture the bird's personality and movement in a split second.
Love the promo video ...
and I'm always fascinated by a little behind-the-scenes insight ...
It's well worth checking out the spectacular website devoted to this book, with loads of photos and film footage of Andrew's beautiful work.
Bird by Andrew Zuckerman
Published by Chronicle Books, 2009
spring: inspiration in bloom
I'm excited and curious about the launch of this new project. I found the link through the blog Pecannoot, whose author Jess Gonacha Swift, is also a part of the team at Spring.
Their descriptions got me intrigued, and I've bookmarked the website in anticipation of their Thanksgiving launch (for non-Americans, Thanksgiving is 26th November):
Spring is a collaborative project that has a single, overarching theme: inspiration.
Through videos, blog posts, and the website itself, Spring is opening an insightful
dialogue that focuses on helping you design a life you love.
Spring serves as your hub for celebrating successes, feeling proud of
yourself and others, and of course, cheering on those around you.
In fact, pretty much everything on the website sounds right up my alley. I love that there is such a strong and growing online community of creative people, joining together to share stories and support. It's so necessary.
pretty things
I fell in love with these trays and vases when I saw them on Modish and wanted to share them here. They're from Lealand Eve Boutique, and visiting their online store I found even more things to swoon over (including some very cute aprons).
I'm particularly drawn to these bird-themed pieces ... so decorative and fanciful, contemporary with a nod to vintage and antique influences (love the use of vintage-style natural history illustration, and the toile de jouy inspired peacock tray) ... glorious! The vases could be equally at home in a pretty, girly room, or in a more simple contemporary room as a contrasting element (for example the crow vase - the dark grey bird stops it being *too* pretty) - and beautiful enough to not even need flowers.
Objects like these make me want to draw and paint, and remind me to have fun with the subject matter - to not always get too bogged down in reality, but aim to capture the magic of the birds and the natural world. I hope to evoke a feeling and focus on the interesting designs, rather than purely rendering an accurate portrait.
That said ... I'm off to paint!
inspired in England
Damian (my fiancé) and I took a road trip through England and Scotland during summer. Everywhere we went seemed to be the birthplace/home/inspiration for a famous artist/author/poet, which doesn't surprise me at all - the place is jam-packed full of inspiration and beauty.
I'm fascinated by the incredibly rich history of the UK and Europe, and struggle to get my head around the fact that these wonderful, intricate and dramatic stories - and castles, cathedrals, ruins, and palaces - are real. Aside from the dramatic history and grand architecture, there's also beautiful landscapes and charming countryside, cottages and villages ... all so inspiring.
I daydream about being able live there for a year or so, and explore every corner.
I ♡ an atmospheric cathedral...
and the Cotswolds ... 
... and the Lakes District - "Beatrix Potter country" - and where I want to live in my daydream for at least part of the year. That time would also involve holding some drawing and painting workshops, where we would take lots of walks for inspiration and reference, and regular breaks for tea in pretty teacups and scones with jam and clotted cream. Occasionally we would draw.
Next stop - Scotland!!
″A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.”
~ Moslih Eddin Saadi ~
sketches
Yesterday I went to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) to sketch some of their stuffed birds.
As much as I love seeing a bird in the wild ... ie; alive ... this is a great way to get up close and personal to see how they're put together - how the feathers grow, how the wings fold up so neatly, like an umbrella, and the actual size of the different species - something that can be difficult to gauge when looking through binoculars or using photo reference. Even if I'm not drawing a bird "life-size" I like having an awareness of how they fit into their world - like the hummingbirds whose bodies are literally the size of my thumb! So teensy!
I loved the woodpecker (above↑) - a Magellanic Woodpecker, of southern South America. I'm thinking he'll end up in a painting. He has this lovely strong profile with his shaggy crest and strong beak (plus he has a flame red head, on a jet black body with just a smattering of white on the wings - so dynamic). These kinds of interesting design elements really appeal to me when I'm choosing subject matter.
The feathers of museum specimens aren't always as glossy and preened as on a healthy, live bird - nor the colours as bright and accurate - but it's so helpful to study them. I find the more I know and understand about the subject, the easier it is to draw it - it's not that I want to draw every minute detail, but having a better understanding actually frees me up to make choices of what to include, or to be able to draw it at whatever angle I want.
And I love making little discoveries - like the delicate and unusual tail feathers on the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (the last sketch, just above ↑) - I've seen them in the wild many times, just never close enough to notice that. Apparently the central shaft very stiff, allowing them to use it for extra support as they hammer away at the tree (they're a type of woodpecker). We don't have woodpeckers in Australia, so it's such a novelty being in North America now and getting to see all these different birds and animals.
Such a nice way to spend an afternoon ... next time I'm taking a camera and a folding chair. And my iPod - those school groups are loud.
Welcome
Hello.
So after long intention, and much lurking, I finally have my little blog to display my art and join in on the conversation. I’m very excited!
I started an online course this week: In the Fishbowl: Life as an Artist Online after admiring Creative Thursday’s Marisa Haedike’s work, blog and generous spirit. I signed up 6 weeks ago, waited impatiently, and used the course as an impetus to finally get this website built and online.
Her first gentle and inspiring podcast got us thinking about what we do. The first question was “Why do you love what you create?” And with that, I finally found the focus for my first blog topic.
why do I love what I create?
I love trying to capture the magic I experience from nature - the intake of breath and flash of joy I get from an unexpected glimpse of a bright bird as it flashes past, or stumbling across a flower species that I’ve never seen before. I linger over the details in nature, but also love the simple peace and inspiration I feel from the natural world, and try to incorporate both in my artwork. I love the mixture of a misty and evocative atmosphere that can be represented by a dreamy smudge, leaving your imagination to fill in the gaps, combined with the tiny, intricate and beautiful details you only notice when looking closely at a bird or flower. I'm fascinated by the array of colours and ornate and fantastical designs that nature presents.
That never-ending journey as I try to capture all this - from an infinite supply of inspiration - brings me such pleasure and satisfaction.
And that’s why I love what I create.
It's an excellent question ... it reminded me why I do what I do, and how lucky I am to have something in my life that's so simple, yet brings me so much joy. A perfect headspace to be in as I launch my new site and gallery!
