In the previous post I mentioned that the
group of naturalists that I was accompanying were on their way to a nearby
marsh to observe the waterfowl migration. Well, not to leave you hanging, I can
tell you that we made it to the marsh after many stops and starts to observe
birds along the way, and we did observe and identify many waterfowl species out
on the marsh. Despite the rain and the cold it proved to be a most wonderful
day, one that, as I mentioned previously would have an effect on the rest of my
life.
In time I would leave a successful career
and go back to studying art something that I had started in my youth and
eventually work full time at becoming an artist. Nature would play a large part
in my making art, especially the drawing and painting of songbirds and
waterfowl.
I should mention that this was back in the
1980s at a time when Canadians were enjoying good economic times resulting in a
time for reflection, and a passion for all things connected to the natural
world. It was also a good time for wildlife artists with a market driven by a
seemingly endless appetite for so called signed and numbered limited edition
reproductions. I could never get around the idea that the reproduction had any
real value being nothing more than a calendar and having nothing more to do
with the artists other than the fact that he, or she, handled it for just long
enough to scribble a signature. Besides, my interest was making original
prints, multiple originals, etchings in particular, and reproductions went
against everything that I believed in, foremost being honesty. As it turned out,
towards the end of the 1980s the economy began to sour and the cold truth about
so called limited edition reproductions struck home and in time the entire industry
collapsed…..along with the popular art market ,and sadly, a lot of the interest
in the natural world.
I have to mention that drawing and
painting birds and waterfowl back in the 1980s was not at all easy. In the time
before Google and digital cameras it was necessary to spend considerable time
walking the marsh observing ducks and geese. Stuffed specimens were not easy to
come by and most proved to be mounted improperly. Lifeless skins were good only
for colour and feather patterns. Needless to say I wore out a few pairs of
boots and a lot of paper and pencils learning how to draw birds and waterfowl.
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Tiny Marsh Hand-coloured Etching |
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Caught Napping (Mallards) Hand-coloured Etching |
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| Mates (Canada Geese) Etching |
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Back of the Marsh (Mallards) Hand-coloured Etching |
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| Common Loons Pen and Ink Drawing |
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Mallards Pencil Drawing |
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Dropping In (Mallards) Watercolour Painting |
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Three Mallards Hand-coloured Etching |
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Paired (Wood Ducks) Hand-coloured Etching |
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| Three Waterfowl Pencil Studies |
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Disturbed (Common Loon) Hand-coloured Etching |
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Drake Wood Ducks (Detail) Watercolour Painting |
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