On his Perch

my favourite tui yet!

So I was very well behaved and I did complete him in a sensible fashion. I so love the simplicity of oriental aesthetics and the whole philosophy around what is 'not there' being as important as what is, leaving out the perch was definitely pushing that sentiment a bit too far.

Ehoa Tui 2011

It is so nice getting used to my little camera again. I had lent it to my mum so she could take it overseas with her and I borrowed her camera instead. Although her camera is so much flasher, I love my little lumix.

detail of the layered up reds and greens of the pohutukawa

detail of the tui

Enjoy . . . there will be additional images within his listing should you wish to be nosy Ehoa Tui on Toggle

St Heliers Bay Market on Sunday

Hey there, come and join us at St Heliers Bay Easter Eggstravaganza Market. It is this Sunday 17th, 10 - 3 pm Tamaki Ex-Services Association Hall, Cnr Turua St & Polygon Rd, St Heliers. I have never had a stall at a market before but it should be great fun. It is all very last minute, a last minute invitation but hey you gotta give it a go eh? Look for the ellaQuaint store :) St Heliers Bay Easter Eggstravaganza Market

Kotare Iti

Kotare Iti

Finally I got this manu finished. He has been hanging around for a little while, very patiently I might add. It is all good as I am thrilled with how beautifully he has turned out.

 A detailed view of Kotare

The flourish which is used to show his call is again taken from an old Victorian copperplate.

This gorgeous work is available for sale on Toggle

Toggle Website

Ehoa Piwakawaka

Ehoa Piwakawaka 2011

This little toanga is for Sue who had a birthday this week. I hope she likes him xx

Underpainting

Here are some images of the underlayers of paint work on Arohanui. The gold layer underneath helps add to the lustre of the tui's feathers.

Varoius blues have been layered up in subtle transparent layers also, to add richness and depth

Here is the link to the auction that closes on Thursday  Arohanui Auction on Trademe

kereru



Kereru Waiata 2011



I haven't painted a kereru for such a long time. To me they are kind of scary because the images I choose to work from generally show off their feathers in their best light. The better the light, the more the colours that appear in them.

This kereru turned out so well. Because initially I wanted to include it in the waiata series, I had that in mind. Then I realized that I have never, that I know of actually heard the call or song of one. There wasn't anything; recordings or descriptions to be found online either. In the end I decided that his waiata would be a quiet, subtle one and painted it white.

See the other blog ellaQuaint for another beautiful kereru work that I came across online, recently ellaQuaint


Again you can see more details of this taonga on Toggle, where he is available for purchase toggle

another in the hand . . .



Toutouwai Pango Toitiiti 2011

Toutouwai Pango Toitiiti
2011
150mm x 150mm x 35mm
Archival acrylic and water colour on canvas

detail

Another iti treasure in the hand. This little toutoutwai, or black robin was carefully layered up using blues and brown, upon a mid grey base. No black was actually used in the painting of this manu so the depth of the colour is the result of many layers of washes, in a manner akin to oil paint glazes. I have heightened the contrast in colour in her feathers for dramatic effect.

I keep thinking of this character as Little Blue seeing as it is highly likely that she is a descendant of Old Blue.





You will be able to view her in more detail on Toggle where she is available for purchase
http://www.toggle.co.nz/ella-thomas.html

The inspiration behind this series of work can be read here . . .
http://ellaquaint.blogspot.com/2011/02/bird-in-hand-is-kind-of-cranky.html

A Bird in the Hand . . .



Korimako Toitiiti

 I was curious as to whether or not I could create some smaller paintings. Combine that with seeing some very cute but disgruntled birds being held in peoples' hands, the idea of 'A Bird in the Hand' was born. To be honest I figure that most hand held birds are either frightened or hacked off. I have some cute images of said birds on ellaQuaint.blogspot.com

This little taonga is happily perching on a branch. The small scale of the format is approximately hand-sized so there is a nice play with meaning also.





Tui Toitiiti

This wee tui is part of the series, these iti treasures are the start of the 'A Bird in the Hand' series. The other concern behind them was to produce a range that was cheaper than my other works. My only worry was that I would be unable to paint birds, especially larger ones like tui that small.

Well now I feel that that fear was unfounded as I am stoked with how this manu turned out. There is still enough room to layer up fine details within the feathers. I am looking forward to seeing how other species turn out.

These little gems are available on toggle :)
http://www.toggle.co.nz/ella-thomas.html

Another post based on the same idea can be seen here
http://ellaquaint.blogspot.com/2011/02/bird-in-hand-is-kind-of-cranky.html

Riroriro

Riroriro / grey warblers are still among my favourite birds. I think that it is their resiliance that appeals to me. An earlier posting goes into detail about how special these birds are.



'Riroriro Iti' 2011

 The riroriro despite their other name, aren't just grey, many different subtle hues occur within the feathers. I have tried very hard to layer up subtle changes of colour to achieve are similar effect when you view it from a couple of feet away.

As well as many other fabulous kiwi designs and art objects, you can see more images of Riroriro Iti on
http://www.toggle.co.nz/ella-thomas.html

the latest korimako painting

Finally I have completed this little korimako / bellbird painting. I really like way the greens and other subtle hues have layered up in his feathers. By zooming in on the image you can see this more clearly.


'Korimako Iti' 2011
SOLD

 I was interested in experimenting with how I could render sound, especially the gorgeous song / call that they make. The linear forms are taken from an old copperplate, flourish, something I think is quite appropriate.




Detail

Somewhere, I have an MP3 file of an evening chorus from Tiritiri Matangi. Hopefully I can find it and somehow add it to this post . . . it was really quite amazing.


Here you can view more images of the painting.
http://www.toggle.co.nz/ella-thomas.html

new representation

Toggle is a fabulous site dedicated to the great New Zealand design and art. I am really happy to be represented by them. Keep an eye out for more works to come shortly

http://www.toggle.co.nz/ella-thomas.html

First Painting for 2011



Piwakawaka Iti 2011

 

 
 Here is my first completed painting for 2011. It is a sweet little piwakawaka (fantail) that is bright eyed and frisky. The title of the work is 'Piwakawaka Iti' Looking back to some of my earlier paintings of piwakawaka, I can definately see the development towards more of an anime influence within the birds facial features; especially the exaggerated eyes. I suppose I am trying to enhance their senses to help them to survive.



Detail of Piwakawaka Iti




  I love the composition of this piece, the way that the feathers balance out the diagonals of the tree branch. This results in the viewer's eye always being led towards the bird in the middle. The simplicity of the background which has a very subtle texture, enhances the details on the manu (bird), some of which can be seen in the close-up to the left. Unfortunately no matter how good my camera is, I can't seem to fully capture the subtleties of the paint work.

tui mouku

Diptych 2 canvases 305mm x 225mm x 35mm
Archival quality acrylics and gesso on canvas


This was a commission that I really enjoyed working upon, it features a tui perched among flowers of ngutu-kaka (kaka beak). I am really happy with how I have managed to further explore playing with simplified kowhaiwhai forms in the tui's collar feathers. The background has layered up silhouetted of mouku (hen and chicken fern).

tui teo

Triptych 3 pieces 205 mm x 205 mm x 35mm
Archival quality acrylics and gesso on canvas





With this painting I was drawn into experimenting with layering silhouettes of kowhai leaves and hand painted realistic images. I was also wanting to see the effect of not including kowhai blooms, . An interesting development seems to be occurring with how I am rendering the birds, particularly tui. Their eyes are getting bigger and bigger.

manuka riroriro 2008

The little riroriro (grey warbler) was awarded 'Bird of the Year' in 2007. It is quite an amazing little bird, despite pipiwharauroa (shining cuckoo) parasitism riroriro are still quite common. Instead of having just one breeding round during spring, riroriro actually have two, one of them being earlier than that of the pipiwharauroa. This has enabled them to survive where other birds wouldn't have. They also adapt quickly to most environments, even in suburbia. I was lucky enough to see one on Tiritiri Matangi, they are so small(about 100mm) and delightful. Initially I mistook it for a rifleman, but later found out that there are none on the island.

Triptych, 3 canvases 205mm x 405mm x 35mm
Archival acrylics and gesso on canvas

I am really happy with how these paintings turned out. The subtle layering worked well, riroriro colouring and feathers are just beautiful. Manuka flowers and the darker branches proved to be the ideal backdrop for the triptych.

ngutu-kaka tui

2008
Triptych 3 canvases
305mm x 405mm x 35mm
Archival quality acrylics and gesso on canvas



Within this triptych I got a little carried away with the details within the tui plumage and the abundance of ngutu-kaka (kaka beak) flowers and foliage. In my opinion the effect is lovely even if the painting took quite some time to complete.

In the wild the ngutu-kaka is rare, browsing pests like possums and feral goats have contributed greatly to this. Thankfully it is a popular tree in gardens so it is safe from extinction.

tui kahukura

2008
diptych
2 canvases 305mm x 225mm x 35mm
Archival quality acrylics and gesso on canvas


This little diptych is the second work that I have completed this year, it was a commission piece. As well as a tui perched on flowering pohutukawa, to the left a kahukura, native red admiral flutters. Kahukura also has some other lovely meanings; to be multicoloured, a rainbow as well as a cloak coloured with red ochre. The composition works wonderfully within the double landscape format.

kowhai piwakawaka

2008
Triptych
3 canvases 225mm x 305mm x 35mm
Archival quality acrylics and gesso on canvas



Within this painting I further experimented with my painting style, particularly within the rendering of the birds. I sometimes get a little carried away with adding lots of super-fine details so I aim to start leaving some areas less worked up so as to enhance those that are more refined. It gives a freshness and energy to the subject matter. The positive shapes of kowhai leaves and flowers and the negative spaces around them are absolutely gorgeous.