Pigeon on the GO

Despite the crazy schedule that always descends around this time of year, I've finally gotten around to starting (and almost-finishing in one sitting, take that, busy-times!) my three-dimensional antler-pigeon. The base of this bird has been sitting around my apartment-and-then-studio since September 2010, so it only took me, oh, a year and two-ish months to get the thing feathered. On the bright side, it's getting done now.

I didn't have my proper camera with me for the progress shots, but you should be used to crappy photobooth images by now, right?

The feathers begin:



Feathery expansion:



Antler-pigeon says HELLO THERE:



I promise a proper update, possibly featuring some photos from my recent trip to New York, soon.

AntlerBirds & Workspaces

Phew. The full weight of summer is resting its humid elbows directly on my city, making it hard to work on anything (all I want to do is lie in front of my fan and/or curl up inside my refrigerator), so I don't have a ton of work to update with at the moment. Instead, I'll post a trio of strange birds I painted a few months ago AND show off my now-set-up studio workspace!

#1: BIRDS. WITH ANTLERS.


Temminick's Tragopan


Another sort of Tragopan (can't remember the exact kind)


Blood Pheasant

None of these birds have antlers in real life (if only), but every other detail on 'em is straight from nature. I'll never get over how perfectly weird the world is.

#2: WORKSPACE!

I've been installed in my (happily shared) studio for just over two months now, and it's starting to feel like home. Adjusting to working in a new, non-apartment space took a few weeks, but now I'm in love with the spaciousness, the artistic environment (courtesy of my studio-mates) and, for the summer, the fact that it's a cool basement (extra-super-bonus!).

Here are some images of the space and my segment of it:


The view from the other end of the space (where we'll have some lovely hand-printed merch for sale come the fall), looking towards the work area. Yes, that is a beautiful printing press.


The left side of my area - shelves full of supplies, plus my two-headed black swan perched happily in his new windowsill home.


Desk! Having this much tabletop space is INCREDIBLE (at my apartment I had about a quarter of this).


Bulletin board detail - finished pieces, pieces in progress, inspiration, etc.

And that's that! I'm off to visit the afore-described space right now, as there's a painting that needs finishing before this weekend!

Come Meet Esther Blackwood!

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!



The lovely Ms. Blackwood (pictured above) will be taking part in an absolutely lovely group show, opening this coming Friday (July 23rd).

Here's another link with more event information (and a map to the shop).

I hope people can come out - I'm unable to attend the opening, so I want everyone to go and enjoy the party on my behalf!

The show will stay up until August 10th, so you've got a few weeks during which to drop in and say hi to a certain lady-owl.

Budgie Dump

I'm by no means planning to quit with the text portion of this blog, but my current backlog of creatures is so daunting I feel I must just get some posted sans-story. Don't pity them too much - they'll get their stories told sooner or later.

Now, without futher ado, BUDGIES:

Lady Curnow, 1870

Lady Curnow, 1870

One of the most feared and respected matrons of London society, Lady Curnow reigned supreme over salons and tea houses alike with her scathing glares and impressive feathered hats. It is rumoured that a chance encounter with Oscar Wilde at a ball soon before he began writing The Importance of Being Earnest led to the creation of the majestic and terrifying Lady Bracknell, a story that Lady Curnow never stopped trying to quell, for she found theatre to have an immoral atmosphere not suited to women of her stature.

Ofelia Ortiz, 1843

Ofelia Ortiz, 1843

Ofelia was born in Barcelona, but not long after her 17th birthday moved to Paris to be more fully immersed in the artistic community of Europe. A prolific author, she wrote over 50 novels and novellas during her lifetime and was regarded as a literary genius in certain circles.

During a visit to London in 1844, Ofelia caused quite a stir when she was invited to a swanky club and spent the evening canoodling with her host's female cousin. Though the authorities passed the incident off as an unusual outpouring of female friendliness (but nothing to be worried about), Ofelia was later revealed to be a lesbian when her letters were found in a box under her bed after her death. Those who read her novels today are seldom surprised to discover her sexual orientation, as she cleverly inserted references to erotic female love throughout nearly all of her books, references that were somehow not acknowledged by her contemporaries.

Miss Adella Alabaster, 1840

Miss Adella Alabaster, 1840

Though she began her performing life with a traveling troupe, Adella was a savvy businesswoman and quickly got her own agent and began securing headlining shows at such impressive venues as Picadilly Hall in London. She was not a freak in the literal sense, but with her excessive flexibility and charming stage demeanour, Adella became a bona fide star on stages across Europe.

Seamus & Samuel, 1846

Seamus & Samuel, Siamese Twins

One of the top draws at Barnum's American Museum during the peak of its popularity, Seamus & Samuel were billed as conjoined twins found by a brave explorer during his trek into the darkest heart of Siam and brought back to New York, where they picked up English at an impressive rate and soon learned to live a fully civilized life.

In actuality, the twins were born in Chicago, but the secret of their origin was not revealed until many years later, when Samuel wrote a tell-all book about his life.

Gideon Madill, 1862

Gideon Madill, 1862

Gideon considered himself a nihilist philosopher and was therefore quite out of fashion amongst his contemporaries. While John Stewart Mill spoke of securing the greatest happiness for the largest number of people, Gideon stuck to his anomie, writing excessively long papers about the futility of life and his conviction that the world around him was entirely meaningless.

Later scholars came to believe that this gloomy view of life was directly related to the death of his childhood sweetheart at the age of eighteen, only a few months before their wedding was to happen. Nevertheless, as a philosopher he made some interesting forays into the subject of life's futility and wrote elegantly about his crushing malaise.

Buford Blewett, 1870

Buford Blewett, 1870

Coming from humble beginnings as a farmer's son, Buford pulled himself handily up by his bootstraps and became one of the best-known politicians of his day. Well-read and charming, he was known for his blustery speeches, which never failed to whip crowds into frenzies of passionate support. His political bent was evident from his first days at Oxford, where he studied law and made a name for himself as a tough debate opponent.

Buford was on his way to becoming Prime Minister of England when scandal struck - his wife Caroline accused him of adultery. The issue might have fallen out of public notice without a sound had letters between Buford and his alleged mistress not been found and subsequently printed in the papers, leading to a trial that rocked London, as their beloved Buford Blewett was unable to deny that the letters were real and was forced to step down from public office, allow his wife the divorce she was seeking, and retreat into the country, where he reportedly lived with his mistress until his death in 1900.

Perry Longsbury, 1886

Perry Longsbury, 1886

Perry was born to a life of wealth and privilege, but, like many youth of his time, rejected his father's estate at the age of 17 and set off to experience a life of danger and adventure. This photo shows him on the borders of his family estate in his traveling clothes, ready to set off into the great wide world and find his own way without the aids of money and social status.

Unfortunately for Perry, his adventures did not last long. He was the victim of highway robbery not long after landing in France and wound up working as the stable boy at a tavern in Lille called Le Macareux, too proud to return and bear his father's scorn. During his time at the tavern, Perry fell in love with the barmaid and the pair wound up marrying and living out the rest of their days on a small farm just outside the town limits.

Philomena Farnsby, 1843

Philomena Farnsby, 1843

In a review of Carmen, Philomena Farnsby was described as, "an illuminated performance never matched before...as Carmen, Miss Farnsby conquered the stage and captivated the entire theatre with her angelic voice."

Not only did Miss Farnsby find herself a star of the London stage, she also posed for a number of Godey's fashion plates, helping the catalogue sell the dresses she modeled at an unprecedented rate.

Shoebills, Savage and Otherwise

In the African wilds, Shoebills once roamed in nomadic tribes, hunting and gathering with great skill. The following illustration shows one of the remaining 'savage' Shoebills and is from a portfolio brought to England in 1860.



This drawing is from the collection of one Herbert S. Millivine, known for his extensive library that contained many rare artifacts relating to the ancient Shoebills' society. He added it to his collection in 1867 after finding it languishing in a London antique market, and often referred to the image as 'my dear ancestor'.

Herbert is pictured below in a photo taken sometime between 1867 and 1869.

Obediah Jones & Captain Wilfred, 1853

A Photo of Obediah Jones & Captain Wilfred, 1853

Taken in 1853 at Barnum's American Museum, this is a souvenir portrait of Obediah Jones, giant, and Captain Wilfred (a.k.a. Wilfred R. Snooder), midget.

The pair was one of the most popular exhibits in Barnum's museum, and thousands would attend their (thrice daily) demonstrations, mostly to ogle the shocking difference in size (but also to marvel at Wilfred's iridescent plumage).

Wilfred remained with Barnum's troupe until his untimely death in 1860 at the age of 40. Obediah quit not long after and moved out of New York City to live out the rest of his days in an exceptionally large house in the countryside.

Birds the First

A courtly courting pair of Baroque kingfishers.


Make Timmy stop crying!


Toucan sur branche.


The Kakapo, all the way from New Zealand.


Based on a Barbet, but this one sports pantaloons.


Crested Auklets - a motley bunch!