Mel Shand. Artist
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the cat's whiskers

(all gone!)

Picture
 bird - a collective - 8th March - 26th May 2012
                      at BRIDGEVIEW GALLERY - http://www.bridge-view.co.uk for directions.
                  with Martha Elizabeth Ferguson, Hazel Irvine Fortescue, Gabi Reith and Mel Shand


Bird was an opportunity for me to study one single species- soon discovering that limiting subject matter does not necessarily make choosing what to study any easier. Although I try hard not to anthropomorphise, I am interested in the aspects of birdlife that offer up a mirror - preening, display, flight, the endless nurturing of young, and empty nest syndrome - all hold parallels with our own  rituals. 

We think of nature as wild and free and yet their behaviour is dictated by the same rigours - which largely go unobserved by us, so distracted are we by our own busy lives. 

My drawings tend to be studies, or spontaneous, over time the oils became brighter in colour, aiming to isolate the subject at its most gorgeous  - even drab wee birds have fantastic vivid nuances of colour in their feathers. Birds are elegant and perfect, I find their posturing endlessly fascinating - I hope they speak to you as they chirruped to me.

 

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  • happenings
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  • The Romance and the Reality