Birds of Paradise

I have another exhibition planned for the last week of January/first week of February at the NEXT DOOR GALLERY in Birkenhead, Auckland. This is a little diptych that will be included. Its made up of two ten inch by ten inch canvases featuring the male huia on the right and female on left. This was the only species in the world where the two sexes had different shaped beaks which is one of the reasons they were so sought after by collectors and hunted to extinction. I have called the paintings "Birds of Paradise" as they also include the bird of paradise flowers altho for me the huia was the true bird of paradise. I had to swipe the flowers I needed for reference from a local council garden....ssshhhh don't tell anyone!

BirdsAplenty Art Exhibition

Its been a busy couple of weeks! I've been flat out finishing paintings for the BirdsAplenty Art Exhibition on at the moment. It opened last Friday 10th October and finishes this Sunday 19th October. This is the 2nd year of the exhibition run in conjunction with the BirdsAplenty festival. Sales are down a little from last year I guess due to the recession but we have had good numbers through, about 200 people so far! This fantail is one of the paintings I have sold from the exhibition so far.
























These next two are from my "Requiem" series that I am working on at the moment. Huia are the main focus and I am working with issues regarding the attitudes that led to their extinction at the hand of man. I think this is the first time I have really concentrated on one theme and the more research I do the more inspired I become so I will be developing these ideas for a while yet I think.


























I went back to check out the coots nest at Sullivans lake a week or so ago. The babies had hatched and I couldn't believe what the chicks looked like! The parent birds are black/dark bluey grey and the chicks come out like little punks with bright red & orange heads - CHECK THIS OUT! Are Coot chicks really cute? Kinda debatable.

swallows, herons, huia.

Early on in the week I went back to one of my favourite birdwatching spots on the river, the rocky outcrop behind the Whakatane Yacht Club. At first there didn't appear to be much around but then I could hear the distinctive croaking of white-faced heron. There was two of them on the roof and it became apparent they were a pair, their breeding plumage all puffed up. (The longer narrow feathers on the back.)

They flew down to the waters edge so I found a dry spot on the rock and sat down with my camera. They began feeding until a second male landed and was soon chased away by the first male. I was lucky that they were pre-occupied and took no notice of me. Later they wandered quite close and I was able to get some nice photos.

One of the best ways to photograph birds is to sit quietly in an area where they are feeding and just wait. If you are patient enough the birds will wander close and you will be rewarded with some opportunities for great shots.

The family of swallows nesting in our carport has been a source of interest over the last week or so. The babies grew so fast. Soon they could barely fit in the nest and I could see three fat chicks with yellow baby-beaks waiting keenly for their parents to return with beaks full of flying insects to eat. But one shrill screech of warning from a parent bird and they would press themselves into the bottom of the nest in an effort to hide. One day I realised they had taken off and were having flying lessons from Mum and Dad. Just short excursions at first then back to the nest. Then they went a little further afield and would land on the clothesline, watching their parents swooping and diving over their heads. Within a day or two they had almost mastered the speed and aerobatics needed to do what swallows do although they returned to the nest at nights. I'm amazed at how quickly they learnt to fly. The whole family of five were hunting for insects in the paddock, alighting on the fence and the only way I could tell them apart was that the babies had slightly shorter tails.

The Opotiki Art Society has an exhibition on at the moment. I only have one painting in it as I have lots of commissions to finish before Christmas. It is another painting of a pair of Huias.