No Boring Birds, Nature Sketch Prompt, Show Reception in Bothell Tomorrow and a Free Online Talk Saturday - Painting Animals with Wonder and Empathy

I'll be giving a studio talk at a free online Art Appreciation Meetup this Saturday: Painting Animals with Wonder and Empathy

WILD NOTES: THERE ARE NO BORING BIRDS

This is an Oregon junco, a bird that is often seen hopping along the ground looking for seeds. It’s not as immediately striking as a blue jay or flicker.

But it’s a fierce little bird, and if you set up a camera next to your feeder, you’ll see that this junco is anything but boring. Here’s a junco dueling with a house finch in my backyard.

There are so many incredible worlds and lives and wonders that we miss on a day to day basis.

SKETCH PROMPT: BIRD HEAD POSES

Take the time to stay in one place outdoors longer than you normally might, and see what animals come by. Quiet your mind and your body, and spend time observing. Try to take in the presence around you, the activity, the colors, the smells, the sounds. Try and make a few notes or loose sketches in your sketchbook.

Take a photo or a video on a phone or camera if you can. If you are recording a bird or other animal, see what it is doing. Is it feeding, responding to another animal, looking at you?

Birds move so quickly that they are obviously hard to draw in real time without a lot of practice, so be prepared to practice sketching birds from photographic reference when back home.

Here’s a video of a junco and goldfinch from my backyard that you can practice from. In the substack app, you can scroll back and forth on the video, or just pause when you find a pose to sketch.

Keep your sketches loose and don’t worry too much about how they look. You’re exploring with your pencil how different positions affect the shape of the head, eyes and beak. Try to imagine the shape of the skull underneath even though you can’t see it.


WHAT’S NEW FOR KRISTER

TOMORROW July 10th : I’ll be at the Unexpected Beauty Show in Willard Art and Frame in Bothell tomorrow. Many other artists in the show will be there. This is a juried exhibition of Puget Sound Northwest Artists. Come say hi and chat about art! Reception is from 5-8 pm and on the Bothell Art Walk.

SATURDAY JULY 12th ONLINE 12 PM PDT PAINTING ANIMALS WITH WONDER AND EMPATHY:

* I’ll be giving a talk to an Art Lovers Social Group online at Meetup and it’s open to anyone and free. Sign up to receive a login. I’ll be talking about how I try not to just represent the animals I’m observing, but preserve a sense of wonder and emotional connection.

Big thanks to Kirk for purchasing my Early Harvest painting at the Edmonds Arts Festival!

I’m currently revamping my online store. If you’re interested in any prints or cards, reply to this email.