HTL Book Report | A BRUSH WITH BIRDS

A BRUSH WITH BIRDS | Richard Weatherly

Instruction | Hardcover | 282 pages | Paintings and Stories
@rw_environmentalartist

“Making art is a selfish pursuit, often done in isolation, with great concentration and occasional deprivation. But it brings great rewards, great friendships and extraordinary experiences and opportunities. These often lead to a story.” ~ Richard Weatherly

While not a Bird Book, A Brush With Birds is really a book about birds and they environments and the process by which Richard Weatherly correctly learned how to illustrate them. ‘It is a book about birds, and animals and people. It contains the observations, experiences and adventures of life spent watching birds. Birds exist as a part of a complex ecosystem and to watch them and understand them requires an interest in plants, animals, insects and geology.’ 

Richard was asked if he was interested in writing a book about Australian birds. He promptly said, “no,” explaining that he wasn’t an ornithologist, or a specialist of any kind, despite having a fascination with science and art. In order to illustrate birds properly, Richard would commit to learning the science behind his subjects. His training of good observation and question are credited back to a neighboring farmer, otherwise known a ‘citizen scientist.’

”I was fortunate to learn from artists who emphasized the need to draw, to get to know and understand one’s subject and its character, and to commit to memory its particular features. Digital photography and the internet allow an artist to copy a photograph, sometimes with amazing technical skill, but without subtlety or understanding: the result is a crow, but not ‘crowmanship.’

This book is about ‘extraordinary experiences in unlikely places.’ The species are from Europe, Africa, America, Antarctica, Papua New Guinea, and many parts of Australia. The illustrations are exquisitely illustrated. Enjoy sharing this book with guests, as it will elevate the decor on any coffee table. Although, I suspect it will end up in your art studio where inspiration can conveniently influence your paint brushes.

WHAT I LOVE:
With my immense desire to understand the how’s and why’s behind art, I appreciate the details Richard shares about each subject. Complete with stories of photography sessions out in nature, to the challenges with creating accurate sketches, technical tips from his mentors, and the nuances of capturing each bird in their natural habitat. This book reads like a novel.