New bird portfolio

I got a little bogged down with my art in the latter part of last year, to the point that I stopped going to my usual weekly sessions from the beginning of December. However over the festive period I seem to have come out of the doldrums and have a renewed vigour (thanks to my wife for introducing me to pintrest!). To keep up the interest and to ensure I put some time in on the subject I am rejoining the local sessions again from the end of the week.
 
My artistic appreciation has always highlighted that I enjoy loose and incomplete watercolour images, yet when I have painted in watercolours I always seem to 'complete' the picture unconciously or sub-conciously anyway. I think a lot of this is down to lack of self belief in my abilities around composition, and knowing when to stop.

This year I have decided to do a small body of work concentrated on birds (another life long passion) and will try to do them in a minimalist, loose watercolour style. Here's No #1 - Barn Owl (12"x8")

Inspiration comes from work by Karl Mårtens, a Swedish artist.

Enjoyed doing the Barn Owl so much yesterday that I did the Peregrine No#2 today. I can see that I have already drifted as the Peregrine is not as loose as I would have liked, but will attempt to do it again in a more fluid style later. The 'tightness' came from working with darker, more intense colours which tended to cover more than the wash approach I intended to use. Lesson learnt.

 I think this will be a series of 15 and I will pick the best 12 and do a calendar.

Now the search is on for the next subject matter for No 3. Might start introducing some of the South African birds which I know so well. Orange Breasted Sunbird maybe!