Good afternoon folks, I hope this blog finds you all well and enjoying the strange yellow orb that has appeared in the sky over Britain this past couple of weeks.
It always feels strange, don’t you think, when we’re eventually blessed with some warmer weather here in the UK. I feel like I’m being enticed into a false sense of security; for gone are the endless summer days when eight weeks off school meant eight weeks of roaming, from dusk to dawn, over fields of ripening crops with a canine companion in tow. Now we’re lucky to get eight days in a row, let alone eight weeks.
So yes, I’m sure you’ll agree that the weather is glorious at the moment. Unfortunately my studio doesn’t have resident elves yet and so with heavy heart I’ve been unable to enjoy midday saunters with Skye. We have made the most of our evening walks though and I must say the sunsets have been stunning. Lunch times and coffee breaks (of which there are many) I have made the most of, setting up my trusty Canon camera (Gerry) on a sturdy tripod to capture the antics of the visiting bird life. I’ve also begun capturing images of the flora in our garden, especially when coming into bloom. All of this pictorial data will be used for art reference images in the coming months.
Okay well that’s enough of me waffling for now (okay there’s no need to cheer lol), let’s move on to our first headline and yes I realise things aren’t appearing in the same order as in the last blog. I’m going to keep shifting things around a little until my subscribers (yes that includes you) feel as though the flow of things is right. So here we go:
Oh while I remember, someone asked what the picture is in the mantelpiece in the above image – it’s a limited edition print of moths by the artist Richard Lewington. A 50th birthday present for my husband from our eldest daughter Holly xXx
So, on with the latest news from this end:
NEW and EXCLUSIVE Wildlife ART Workshops at Knowsley Safari Park, Prescot. L34 4AN Commencing Saturday 9th June 2018 9am-4pm
- I’m excited to announce, after having been invited to set up a catalogue of art-based events at Knowsley Safari Park here in Cheshire, the first date has been set and the bookings have begun to arrive. The Knowsley team and my contact in particular are as eager as I am to get things up and running, it is with this in mind that we have set an introductory price of just £80 per person. The price includes all materials, tuition, lunch and refreshments. All you’ll need to bring is a smile. If you’d like some more information on this event or would like to book a place for yourself or a loved one then please use the following link, this will take you directly to the ‘Workshops in Cheshire’ page of my website: https://www.kerrynewell.com/workshops-in-cheshire/ May I also add at this point that the subject for the workshop on June 9th is going to be an Amur Tiger. This having been chosen to celebrate the conservation work Knowsley is involved with for this species via the captive breeding programme and by working in conjunction with Wildcats Conservation Alliance.
This second news item I’d like to draw your attention to is that of my YouTube channel. I have now released two more videos since my last blog. The first being ‘Black Fur in Pastel’, shown in the image to the left, and the second being ‘Bokeh Background in Pastel’. Both new additions are suitable for beginners to learn techniques from and so I hope, that if you have a spare moment, you could pop over and check them out. If you do like what you see over on my channel then please subscribe, yes it’s free. If you do you’re helping me reach toward my first milestone of 1,000 subscribers. At the moment I believe I’m at 420. For those of you that have already subscribed I’d like to take a moment to say a huge THANK YOU to each and every one of you. You’re all amazing! Your support and encouragement is truly appreciated and has spurred me on to better my skills in the world of video tutorials. Having said that I would like to apologise for the sound quality of the current videos. I now have a new microphone and a new video editing suite so things should begin to improve from here on. If you’d like to see my YouTube channel videos, just simply follow this link (don’t forget to come back and read the rest of this blog though lol): https://www.YouTube.com/c/KerryNewellProfessionalWildlifeArtist
As I’m now writing on a regular basis for Stronghold.Media, I thought I would follow on from last month’s Artisan Advice theme with another blog-style tip. If you haven’t read last month’s blog, I included links to three blogs I’ve written as a guest blogger for Stronghold.Media. These were Marketing Yourself as an Artist Part 1 & Marketing Yourself as an Artist Part 2, and Why Creatives need a Blog.
The link I’ll include for today’s blog is entitled ‘Tips for Beginner Creatives’. In this piece of writing I explore and discuss the idea of turning a creative hobby into a lifelong career. I include snapshots of topics including where to start, scheduling, how to prepare and how to get noticed. Here’s the link: https://stronghold.media/blog/2018/04/30/tips-beginner-creatives
I hope you enjoy this and find it of use to you. Should you want any artistic advise in particular then please feel free to email me your requests so that I can include them in future posts.
Moving on to a new topic for my blogs, the world of conservation. I’m going to begin with why my Canon camera is called Gerry. Now you may think this strange to start of the topic of conservation with the naming of an inanimate object. Well I’ll do my best to enlighten you with a short account. This could easily turn into an essay length piece of writing but I’ll keep that for another time, promise.
I named my camera Gerry after the world-renown conservationist Gerald Durrell.
Ah now you can see where the connection between the two lies. From his birth in India in 1925 to his death in 1995 Gerald lived his life surrounded by animals. Gerald was first and foremost a naturalist, he then worked as a zookeeper and soon was employed to organise expeditions from the UK to collect live specimens for zoos and private collections. It was this work that turned his heart and mind to conservation. It is no understatement that he became one of this country’s most renown conservationist. Durrell was also an author, I grew up reading his books and he has inspired me in more ways than I can mention here. He also found increased fame when he became a television presenter, however he never really relished being on the other side of the camera, but he did so in order to educate and raise awareness of the plight of so many species. He also went on to found what is now called the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Durrell Wildlife Park on the Channel Island of Jersey. If you would life to read more about Gerald Durrell and the Durrell Conservation Trust: https://www.durrell.org/wildlife/about/gerald-durrell/
Last but not least a quick Q&A, whoop whoop whoop I hear you cry another new feature to my blog! Okay you probably didn’t say whoop whoop whoop but I did! lol.
Today’s question, and by that I don’t mean it’s been sent in by someone named Today, wow that would be weird lol. No this is simply a question that I get asked a lot:
Q. How old were you when you started to draw?
A. I’ve always held a keen interest for the natural world, from bugs and beetles to trees, animals & birds. There doesn’t seem to be anything I’m not interested in and there’s definitely nothing that I’m scared of. I’m guessing that all of this stemmed from growing up in home that had a wildlife garden as opposed to a more formal kind. My dad, Allen who passed away in 2001, was a keen gardener but loved wildlife with a passion. Apparently he wasted no time in digging a huge pond within weeks of getting married and moving my mum into their marital home, long before me and my sister came along. So it was natural for me as a youngster to spend long warm days in the garden, time spent investigating snails, butterflies, frogs and eventually grass snakes seemed the norm to me. The more time I spent with them, the more I wanted to know about them. Not being able to afford a camera was probably the reason my parents made sure I had enough paper and pencils to record my findings, and I guess that’s where my creative journey began. As for my age then, my mum say’s I’d be around 4yrs old when my love for drawing began.
If you have a question that you’d like to ask then please feel free to email me at: kerrynewell1@gmail.com
Okay folks I think I’ve taken up enough of your time for one day, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading today’s blog as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. Thank you all so very much for your ongoing support, it really is appreciated.
Stay in touch, follow me on social media if you wish, but above all be blessed.
Until next time it’s over and out from me for now
Best wishes, Kerry xXx
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