New Piece in the works!

I just started a new piece in dedication of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. This piece is of a Brown Pelican sitting on top of a mooring post in south Florida preening itself. Unfortunately a luxury that many of the Brown Pelicans further north in the Gulf will not experience again.

The layout and preliminary shading base has been done and I am starting to work the rope areas to start to bring the braids and texture of the rope to life.

As this piece progresses I'll add more images. The size of this piece will be 12"W X 18"H.

Le Nichoir - a new Strategic Partnership!

A new Strategic Partnership has been formed with the organization Le Nichoir - a wild bird rehabilitation centre in Hudson, Quebec.

Le Nichoir is part of a community of North American rehabilitators supported by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA). Their mission is to conserve wild birds as part of our natural heritage. Le Nichoir provides proper care and treatment for injured, sick, or orphaned wild birds and releases them back into their natural habitat.

Check out their site at http://www.lenichoir.org/ and the new Centre Project!

New Release - "The Calling"

Hot off the Press!

This is a new piece just finished - this is a combination of several photos taken through the summer months - hope you like it.


Original is currently available - framed in wood, double matt and UV clear glass - $ 2800.00
Limited edition giclees are available as well.

Epson 7900 Stylus Pro for Giclée Prints

I received my new Epson 7900 in early November and have been printing my own giclees ever since. It's amazingly simply to use and produces beautiful prints. It was a little intimidating when I went to pick it up with my truck and since my office/studio is on the third floor ( without an elevator ) I needed some extra help to set it up.

My previous printer had decided to no longer provide the service so I decided to jump in with both feet. To help off-set some of the costs of paper and ink, I have started to provide a fine art printing service to other artists - check out my website for further information.

Le Nichoir and Wildcard

Le Nichoir is a wild bird rehabilitation centre in Hudson, Quebec about an hours drive from Ottawa and they are hosting a fund raising event called Wildcard. They are calling upon artists to donate small 5" X 7" original pieces of art that will be sold at $ 65.00 each.

Each original is to be signed on the back only so that the purchaser does not know who the artist is. With an event date of August 21st, le Nichoir already has over 260 artists who have committed to donating Wildcards.

They have received donations from 10 Canadian RCA members including:

Philippe Beha
Leslie Poole
Gathie Falk
Bruno Bobak
Joseph-Richard Veilleux
George Walker
Robert Bateman
Marcel Braitstein
John A. Schweitzer
Pnina Gagnon

Here is my contribution to th effort: "Fuzzy" is a young Canada Goose gosling that I photographed last week along the edge of the Rideau River in Ottawa.

Red Winged Black Bird Update

A few days ago I pleased to see that all four eggs had hatched successfully and from a distance the mother could be seen collecting insects; however, sad news came 5 days later when I went back and the male was not guarding the area any longer. I checked the nest and found it empty and abandoned.



The nest was not disturbed and the grasses supporting the nest were not broken either leading me to believe that either another bird or perhaps a Red Squirrel had found the nestlings.

An art piece will still be done and hopefully some of the other nests will have better results.

Red Winged Black Bird Nesting

While walking our Saint Bernard I discovered a nesting Red Winged Black Bird and decided to try and take some photos throughout the nesting/incubation period with the goal of producing several pieces of art.

When I found the nest there hadn't been any eggs laided yet but the female wasn't flying too far away so I knew she was ready to lay. Within a few days the eggs started to appear and she is now sitting on 4 bluish-green spotted eggs.

We will wait for the first to hatch and try and keep our distance so that she isn't disturbed too often.

The Gift

The Gift is done and heading to a gallery. This piece is a triptych and is available in two sizes. The full size will usually be framed as three individual pieces where as the a reduced scale version will be framed as a single image. Single full size frames can be ordered if you wish as well it's just that this size would call for an oversize matt and glass order.

This piece is from a photograph that an acquaintance took and was kind enough to allow me to use it as reference. It depicts a ritual that takes place while nest building for swallows where the male birds find feathers for their mate to line her nest.

Le Nichoir - Wild Bird Rehabilitation Centre

Le Nichoir Wild Bird Rehabilitation Centre was founded in 1994 as a non-profit organization and is located in Hudson, Quebec. The Centre is part of a community of North American rehabilitators, supported by the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC) and the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA).

Their mission is to conserve wild birds as part of our natural heritage. Le Nichoir provides proper care and treatment for injured, sick, or orphaned wild birds and releases them back into their natural habitat.

This coming Saturday, April 24th, Le Nichoir is hosting a "For the Birds" Benefit Dinner and Auction. This year's event will be held at the Château Vaudreuil Suites Pavillion. $75 per person (ticket includes: hors d'oeuvres, cash bar and sit down dinner)

For more information please visit their website or contact Susan at 450 458 2809.

I have donated a framed print of "Wait for Me!" to their auction event and 40 % of any sales related to Le Nichoir. You can visit their site at http://www.lenichoir.org/ .

New Art - "The Gift"

The Gift is a new piece still in progress- it is a triptych based on some photographs that an acquaintance has kindly allowed me to use. Swallows use feathers that they collect to line their nest before egg laying starts - it is still unclear why but it is assumed that it is to provide a nice soft cushion for the fragile eggs as well as acting as an insulation factor when the parents are out foraging for food.

The image shows the male "handing" off a feather to his mate that he has gathered.

New Web Section - Workshops & Materials

I'm starting a new section on my website www.stuartarnett.com which will display online tutorials, materials and techniques, and ultimately a section on future Workshops.

As the tutorial section builds, videos and cds should be available. Most of the turtorials will focus on wildlife features; eyes, fur, feathers, movement, etc and on the landscape side of things, features such as trees, rocks, snow, use of paint and loose graphite, etc.

I have used Staedtler products since as long as I can remember and because of that, they will form the base of my material section.

The ultimate goal of this section will be to start locally run Workshops of a two or three day duration with a similar focus as the tutorials, but have a very hands-on approach. Workshop groups would be kept to a maximum of 10 participants per workshop to ensure close one-on-one attention.

Possible locations for Summer 2010 Workshops are Westport at the Artemisia Gallery and in Algonquin Park. If you are interested please email me and I will update you on my Workshop developments.

Society of Canadian Artists - SCA

The deadline for our Spring Membership drive is coming up quickly - applications are due by next Friday - April 16th.

All we need is 5 of your best images and a completed application - the selection is done by 5 independant jurors. There is a $ 45.00 jurying fee and if successful this goes towards your first year annual dues. If you are a Canadian artist and interested in applying simply email me and I will forward you the application. We are Going Green this time to help save some trees so everything is done electronically.

If you miss the Spring application the next membership drive will be in the Fall and have a deadline of October 15th !

The Olympics and Spring has arrived !

The last few months have been busy - we were fortunate enough to attend the Olympics in Vancouver - an unbelievable experience!

This is one of my favourite photographs that I took while at the Opening Ceremonies just as the snowboarder "broke through" the Olympic rings.

We also spent March break in Florida where I was able to get some wildlife shots - there were some Sandhill Cranes as the side of the road that I was able to capture - fairly close up too.

San Diego Joey

As part of my trip to the San Diego Zoo in November, I agreed to produce a piece of art to help raise funds and awareness of the Koala. The San Diego Zoo has the largest koala population and the most successful breeding program outside of Australia.

Though often called the "koala bear," this cuddly animal is not a bear at all; it is a marsupial, or pouched mammal. After birth, a female carries a single baby in its pouch for about six months. When the infant emerges, it rides on its mother's back or clings to her belly, accompanying her everywhere until it is about a year old.Koalas live in eastern Australia, where the eucalyptus trees they love are most plentiful. In fact, they rarely leave these trees, and their sharp claws and opposable digits easily keep them aloft. During the day they doze, tucked into forks or nooks in the trees, sleeping for up to 18 hours.

These plump, fuzzy mammals were widely hunted during the 1920s and 1930s, and their populations plunged. Helped by reintroduction, they have reappeared over much of their former range, but their populations are smaller and scattered. Koalas need a lot of space—about 100 trees per animal—a pressing problem as Australia's woodlands continue to shrink.

The Koala's status is currently considered "Threatened".

The finished art piece is available through auction at http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?auctionId=103042933