Earlier this summer, I went on a weekend trip to Finnmark, in the far north of Norway, together with a friend, Bjørn Olav Tveit (the author of an excellent new guide to all the best birding sites in Norway - a must for all birders travelling in Norway: A Birdwatchers Guide to Norway)
The Sea Eagle in this watercolour was one of many that was resting on the shore of Varangerfjorden. This would have been a more exotic experience for a southerner twenty years ago, when the spescies was still considered quite a rarity in the south of Norway. These days, however, the Sea Eagle has colonized the whole coastline, all the way to the Oslo Fjord.
They are still magnificent birds, though, and a real challenge to paint. The plumage of a young bird is rather "messy", with a lot of variation in colour, and with less defined rows of coverts than you find in smaller birds. The feathers seem a bit out of order, in a way. The portrait of the bird is also essential - I always find it challenging to give birds like this the rigth look!
The way I "build" a painting like this is still much more influenced by intuition than of a certain technique.
Spot on Quivind!
SvarSlettYou really captured precisely the facial
expression of this guy!
Compliments!
Paschalis
Estupendo trabajo. El aspecto desaliñado de las plumas lo hace más natural. Creo que algunos artistas colocan demasiado las plumas.
SvarSlettEnhorabuena Øivind... (reverencia)
Abrazos
Potri
Fantastic work. I travelled to Varanger this summer too! All the best
SvarSlettEn fantastisk bild! Men i denna stund är det inte möjligt att göra något eller säga något utan att samtidigt ägna en tanke åt de drabbade i Oslo och Utöya. Jag hoppas att du och de dina inte är bland denna vettvillings offer.
SvarSlett/Måns
Takk Måns. Det har vært en tung dag, ja. Jeg og familien var ikke i Oslo da det skjedde, og våre aller nærmeste er ikke rammet. Takk for omtanken.
SvarSlettA good portrait of this beautiful and impressive bird, Øivind.
SvarSlettI hope you and your family find yourselves well. I want to express my solidarity with your country in these tragic moments.
My memory for all victims of a disturbing ideas.
Thank you, Lluís, for your kind words. My family is safe, but we are all mourning the victims of this horrific incident, and we have friends whose lives have been changed forever. Me and my family went downtown Oslo tonight, together with 150 000 people, and answered hate with love - a special evening indeed.
SvarSlettBest regards, Øivind