Grizzly Fisherman

Obviously (at the moment) we've no wild bears living in the UK any more - we have medieval hunters, farmers, landowners, trappers and bear baiters to thank for that - so the closest I've got lately to a grizzly bear has been via E4 channels Grizzly Season of tv programmes. Very interesting it was too and this has inspired my latest painting which will depict a very large grizzly bear fishing for salmon in a fast flowing alaskan river.

I'm at the underpainting stage of this one with the main bulk of light and shade blocked in using fast drying acrylic which gives a good base on which to build up the layers of oil paint I will be slapping on in the next few days.

Watch this space for in progress pictures, I will keep you posted.

Elephant Painting Complete

"Face to Face - African Elephant"

Well elephant oil painting is finished! I'm pleased with it, I've tried not to go overboard with the detail as I wanted to give a slightly impressionistic feel to the background. This is a small scale oil - 10 inches x 12 inches canvas.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting just drop me an email at joelmerriner@hotmail.com

Elephant oil painting part two...

Latest in-progress pic of my new elephant painting. Coming along nicely I think, especially enjoying rendering the gnarly old fallen tree in the background. Plenty of painting still to do on the elephant itself...so many wrinkles!

New elephant oil painting in progress

Here's a sneak preview of my latest small scale oil painting of an African elephant. Early stages yet, just blocked in the basic colours in readiness for more detailed brushwork to come. Size is 10 inches x 12 inches

Should be finished in several weeks. Watch this space for further pictures. If you are interested in purchasing this painting just drop me a line at joelmerriner@hotmail.com

Lizard RIP

A sad footnote to the previous visiting common lizard post. I came downstairs the very next morning and there was the little guy in the middle of the floor again but this time stone dead. How had he got there, how did he die? Who knows...I thought initially it might have been our dog but the lizard was totally unmarked, hadn't shed his tail and was simply deceased. Maybe it was just his time to go. A mystery.

An Unusual House Guest

Had an intriguing visitor in our front room last night, a little common lizard sat on the slate floor. I didn't see him myself(although I have several times before and once nearly stood on him in the dark!) but my wife did. She watched him for a while but didn't fancy the idea of picking him up and taking him outside so he eventually sneaked under our sofa and vanished. As far as we know he's still under there, so we await his next visit...

Under the Bridge

Interesting little discovery the other day. A friend of mine who lives just down the road(about 200 yards) in a place called Berrio Bridge, directed me to an interesting little nest he had discovered under one of the arches of said bridge(a very picturesque and several hundred years old granite structure). It was made of moss, domed with a little entrance hole and perched just above the fast flowing waters of the Lynher. Ironically as I clambered down the bank to have a look, a dipper flew out from under the arch and sped down the river. Sure enough, it turns out this little chap was the owner of the nest. My mate assures me the nest has been there for a good while, so I can only assume a bit of a renovation was taking place in preparation for the new breeding season to come. Wouldn't be my ideal choice of location for a home hanging over the surface of a fast flowing moorland river, but dippers are made of sterner stuff than us, so long may they remain there I say.