5 replies to this topic

[jblakelock]

I've been thinking lately about the different artistic mediums and some of the bird inspired pieces that I've been drawn to. I'm using art in the broadest most general sense of the term. Here are three of things I've had on my mind recently:

First up is music. Been in love with Leo Kottke's piece "Owls" ever since I heard it. I think I was drawn in at first just because of the title, but it's a great piece of music. He plays it on 12 string guitar. Kottke is one of the best fingerpickers of the last fifty years. "Owls" is from Kottke's album Greenhouse which was released in 1972. Here's a link:




Second is the painter Wilhelm J Goebel. He had an exhibition at The Ward Museum of Waterfowl Art in Salisbury, MD about a decade ago when I first starting getting into birding. I remember walking through the exhibit and being floored by just about every piece. He's a wildlife artist, but what I've seen is mostly bird related. Here's a link to his webstie:

http://www.wjgoebel.com


Lastly is the children's book "Owl Moon" by renowned author Jane Yolen. My son has been asking for it at bedtime the last few nights, and it is one of my favorite books to read to him. It's quiet and simple and almost poetic. Definitely would recommend this book to anyone with little ones.

Am interested in what bird inspired art other birders have been drawn to. Thanks for letting me share.

[spyonabird]

I have several prints and a canvas by Charlie Harper. I love his use of geometry and precision to represent birds. Here is a link to his studio.
https://charleyharpe...tudio.com/shop/

[Sparky the Cuttlefish]

When I was a little kid (and lived in Wales) I used to go to the art exhibit at a local gallery of Charles Tunnicliffe's works, and would sit and sketch them. It was a very cool exhibit, made to look like a re-creation of his studio, and had multiple stuffed birds (including a Snowy Owl, I think?) there to demonstrate his use of bird bodies to learn and sketch their anatomy. Anyway, I still love his artwork and books:

http://malltraeth.co...emid=67&lang=en

Nice post, Jblakelock!

[M6ta]

I think each bird is a piece of art. Each has its own shape, size, color(s) and design. They are a natural for photographers and artists to include in their works. In the recent past, I delved into the digital photo abstract medium and I'm really enjoying the results of my efforts. I combine images taken on my hikes to create textured, earthy and colorful images of all that I've seen along the way. The entire process is enjoyable to me -- from being inspired while out in the field and taking the photos, to manipulating them into something that speaks to how I feel about nature. I have begun to share these images with others which has added yet another dimension to my experience...getting to see and hear how others respond...what my pieces evoke in others.

I upload a selection of my art to my Whatbird gallery. If you're inclined, I would enjoy hearing back from you on what you liked and what my images evoked in you.

My complete collection can be found at: www.michellesixta.com OR michellesixta.Imagekind.com

[BarnSwallow]

I've always loved Robert Bateman.

http://www.robertbateman.ca/

[jblakelock]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I really enjoyed looking through all the links and seeing the various artwork.

I didn't know the name Charlie Harper, but I saw a card set with one of his Loon pictures a few months back. It's amazing how he can capture the essence of a bird with so few and so uncomplicated lines.

Again wasn't familiar with the works of Tunnicliffe. What stood out to me is the incredible mood of his pieces. There seems to be an overriding feeling of darkness in his work. I was thinking that it might have something to do with the climate of Malltraeth, or Wales in general. The Ward Museum has a similar exhibit: a re-creation of the Ward brothers workshop; they were famous decoy makers from Crisfiled, MD.

Michelle, thanks for sharing your work. What an interesting process. What struck me is the opportunity to play on the temporal element, which is usually not associated with a single image. I think that shows through in some of your pieces. I really love the fiery feeling of your piece Marshland, and looking on your main sight I was drawn to your pieces with trees and especially the use of inverted color (or it seems inverted).

I was lucky enough to see some of Robert Bateman's work at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I distinctly remember his work "Chief" that the museum commissioned. It's a 6 feet by 8 feet portrait of a no nonsense fog shrouded American Bison. They also had a video about him running in one of the rooms, and the part that stuck with me was him talking about "getting to know your neighbors", i.e. the natural world around you.

I can't help myself. I have to add a few more:

I have always loved Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem "The Windhover". Here's a link:

http://www.poetryfou...org/poem/173667

Also love the modern poet Stanley Plumly, who teaches at University of Maryland, College park, and is the current poet laureate of Maryland. One of my favorites poems of his is "Cedar Waxwing on Scaret Firethorn", but sadly there's no online version available (unless you're a subscriber to "The New Yorker"). The poem is from his book "Boy on the Step" which is just great. He makes a lot of references to birds throughout his poetry. As a consolation here is a link to his poem "Against Starlings":

http://www.theparisr...-stanley-plumly

And lastly the French composer Olivier Messiaen who was a great transcriber of birdsong and frequently used them in his compositions. One piece of note is his "From the Canyons to the Stars", which was inspired by a trip to Utah. It's a great piece and aside from the many bird references it also references Bryce Canyon and Zion. Here's a link to the movement "Les Orioles":



Ok. I'm done.