Nature’s Gems Series
Between 2002 and 2004 I produced twelve water colour paintings which I hoped might be used in the design of a calendar. I went out and about at the beginning of each month and decided what flora and fauna might be of interest in a particular month and what would make nice little paintings to go on my proposed calendar. These 12 paintings have the codes NS01 to NS12 (‘NS’stands for Nature Series). However, when I designed and published the A4 limited edition calendar in 2005 for the year 2006, it ended up with the title: “Nature’s Gems”. All 300 editions were sold. And each year since then I have designed and produced a calendar based on my artwork done during the year, or re-using some popular pictures from previous years. The calendars remain as popular now as they were in 2005 and lovely people come back to purchase them year after year. The calendars have been sent all over the world. I also now produce A5 and Half A3 Calendars, as well as CD size calendars in a plastic case.
NS08 NATURE’S GEM’S: August Reed Warbler
Botanical Illustration. Artist Code: NS08. Completed August 2004. Original SOLD. Water colour onAquarelle Arches 100% Hot Pressed cotton rag paper. Unframed size 9″ x 12″.Framed size 19” x 15”
SOLD at the Hinchingbrooke Country Centre Christmas Fair 2015.
This painting was featured on the front cover of a little book about reed published by the British Reed Growers’Association entitled: The Reed by S.M.Haslam, which can be downloaded free here: http://www.brga.org.uk/files/cgi-bin/TheReedSHaslam2009.pdf
All sorts of warblers were spotted when I visited some reedbeds in the Fens, and this little bird caught my eye. At an exhibiting show in Newmarket in November 2005, I was intrigued that one lady leaned towards a print of this picture with outstretched hand and tried to touch the reed as she thought it was a real one stuck on the paper
Poem:
August mists roll over bog.
A man is walking with his dog.
The reeds in gentle breezes sway.
The safest place by night and day,
for warblers who may soon be gone,
to distant lands for winter sun.
