Film | Final Touches Before Exhibition | Wildlife Art

Watch as I finish a new collection of wildlife paintings for my winter art exhibition. This new collection consists of a three portraits of a hare, badger and a sparrowhawk as well as a painting of a woodpecker perched on a tree and one of a pair of oystercatchers walking along a beach. Read on for their stories.

Hare portrait
Here on the Yorkshire Wolds, hares are a common, if fleeting, sight. To watch this one, I crouched down in the long grass in a field in front of my home. It's surprising how close they will come so long as you stay still. 

Great spotted woodpecker
I noticed this woodpecker looking for insects on a partially-rotted silver birch tree trunk. A female, it was gazing at the trunk very intensely. I thought the pose made a great composition.  

Oystercatchers
I watched these oystercatchers feeding along the seashore one cold autumn day. They were using their strong, razor-sharp beaks to prize open shellfish. I was struck by how noisy they were as they patrolled the beach together, "peeping" loudly as they marched along probing the sand. 

Sparrowhawk
With their piercing yellow eyes and precise hunting techniques, sparrowhawks are formidable birds of prey. This female's gaze was locked on to some sparrows it had spotted in a hedge, right next to the hide from which I was photographing it. 

Badger
Badgers are among my favourite wild animals to watch. I love to see them get ready for the winter, dragging straw in to their underground chambers. This one is a cub, its bedding scattered beneath it. I loved its expression as looked up momentarily. 

Painting wildlife
As you can see I like to paint every detail. Using tiny brushstrokes to capture a reflection in an eye, a single strand of fur, or a feather on the tip of a wing.