New paintings and regular art updates.
Seen on the side of a canal barge today at Etruria, Stoke on Trent. Not your usual castles and roses, but very nice image. I’ve actually seen a heron on that stretch of the Trent and Mersey canal. I like the waterlilies that have been included, they are not usually found in city canals though and the water is generally not that clean as there is usually some pollution. But I would say canals, are better maintained than in the past.
Blurry photo of a heron chilling out on the canal bank today. It leant forward a few times and looked into the murky brown water but then resumed it’s original position again. I guess it must have seen a fish.
We have previously seen people magnet fishing in the canal, they said they sometimes find things, but nothing valuable. Is a shopping trolley or bike frame worth it? I guess you can weigh things in for scrap. In the meantime I hope the heron got his dinner!
Got a nice surprise this morning, I’ve sold another small painting (long and thin). It had been for sale at the Arts and Minds Gallery at Harper Street in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent. As usual it’s lovely to feel that someone has taken it into their heart.
This was a playful piece. I started by painting some weeds and rushes, and only decided to add a bird, this Heron, because it fitted in with the shape of the canvas.
Next? I might paint some gentle landscapes or flowers, but play with the style again, not forgetting the industrial heritage of the area.
I just took my Heron painting to the cafe at Etruria Industrial Museum to swap it for the one of the waterfall that I have sold. I will try and deliver that to my friend soon who bought it from me. I need to do some more work because I have the opportunity of showing some small paintings at a new venue that is opening up in Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent, near the Middleport pottery. I’m trying to grab opportunity where I can.
I decided to transform the reeds painting, an abstract picture I thought I had finished yesterday. It was a bit abstract but it didn’t fit in with the other paintings I had been doing. What to do? It needed some more colour and a focus. I added glittery, shimmery paint between the reeds to try and make the water behind the reeds stand out. I was thinking of adding a small bird like a Reed Bunting, or a Coot. But in the end I decided on a Heron. The colours fit in, it’s camouflaged but recognisable. This is still a work in progress.
Seen today in Etruria
that grey thing is a Heron, or as a little child that was passing said ‘an evil heron’! It really did look prehistoric.
At Etruria on the Cauldon branch of the canal. The bird walked along the canal towpath then stood crouched at the side of the water. It was ready to spear into the canal to catch a fish. More intent on staring than wo was watching it. I was amazed to get photos of it.
I was at a college this afternoon singing with our choir. We were in a very modern new building and the curved glass windows looked out over old trees. As we practiced before the performance we saw a great heron circling around these trees and a buzzard or some other bird from the raptor family sitting on a branch and looking at the heron. I think that’s why it was circling and not landing. Herons are strange and gangly Their legs are long and dangle down as they fly. They have long wings that flap slowly and a small head with a pointed beak carried on a long neck which is bent in a flat S shape as it flies.
Grey and white the heron flapped round in lazy circles. I think it was wary of landing. The river dane is nearby and I guess it might have been fishing there.
As we went into the room we were performing in I took this quick photo, unfortunately the birds had flown off. But what a spectacular view we had.
Mallaband-Brown