Pheasants in Morning Light

Pheasant Cock and Hen in Morning Light

8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm) original acrylic painting on hand primed board $325 w/free shipping in US and Canada

To receive email postings of my work click below or send email to Paul 

To see past work in my daily painters gallery click HERE 
To see only available works click HERE

As a teenager hunting pheasant in Illinois, I didn’t realize this bird was introduced rather than a native species. Because it fit into the environment so well it was much later that I learned it has been introduced into America from Eurasia in the 1800’s. 

Although I don’t see this beautiful bird often here in my area of Michigan, there seems to be a good number of these birds in Southeast Michigan and I’ll sometimes see one wander through my yard. This pair was spotted one early morning in the cornfield near us and I’m now hunting them only with a camera and paintbrush.

© Copyright by Paul Wolber

All Rights Reserved

A Surprising Kind of Bullfight

A Surprising Kind of Bullfight

  (click photo to see more detail)
 8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm) original acrylic painting on hand primed board $325 w/free shipping in US and Canada

 To see past work  click HERE 
To email Paul please click below:

wolberinchina@hotmail.com

This is a take-off and update of a posting done some years ago after traveling in China. In north Guangxi Province we were invited to see a bullfight. I had no idea what it would be and had visions of the Spanish bullfight where the matador attempts to kill the bull. We traveled several hours by dirt road to the mountain village of Wu Dong. Being the only foreigner in the village some of the children had never seen a Caucasian like me, so I was more of an attraction to them then the bullfight.

     The fight was between two water buffalo bulls, not man against bull. The bulls are territorial so one would be sent up river in the water and the other would come down river. When they met, they would fight for territory. There were forty bulls in all to fight that day, so there were 20 runoff fights, then the winners would fight until all the bulls were eliminated except the grand champion winner and the fights lasted all day. A fight could last five minutes or in some cases half an hour. The bulls would sometimes lock horns and we saw several bulls lift his opponent off the ground by the horns as they struggled. The bull that turned and ran was the loser and the one who stood his ground was the winner. The most damage we saw during the day was a bloody nose, never a duel to the death. Winning bulls were highly prized and could be sold or bred for a lot of money, so the bulls were carefully protected.

     There was no danger to humans as the bulls were fighting. People were standing all around during the fights and the bull handlers where right beside the bulls during fights as you can see in the photo. We ask one man about the fights and ask if the bulls were ever injured in a fight. He told us they were highly valued so they were never allowed to do much damage to each other.

     At noon, we were invited to have lunch with the elders of the village. We joined them for a lunch of vegetables, rice, various kinds of meat and raw fish. I was asked to drink a toast with the top elder who then declared me an honorary member of the village tribe. I usually don't drink much alcohol, but in this case I did drink the strong rice wine as I figured it would cleanse any bacteria in the raw fish I was offered. This was just one of the many fantastic experiences we’ve had in our many travels in China.

© Copyright 2011 by Paul Wolber

All Rights Reserved

Gargoyle, Grotesque or Chimera? A Sculpture from Notre Dame Cathedral

Grotesque from Notre Dame, Paris

(click on photo for more detail)

7” x 5” (17.8 cm x 12.7 cm) acrylic on hand primed board $125 with free shipping in US & Canada

To see available works in my dailypainters gallery click HERE
To receive email postings of my work click below or send email to Paul

This time of year our thoughts often turn to travel. This is a sketch from my last travels in Paris, a grotesque sculpture from the towers of Notre Dame Cathedral. This image is often called a gargoyle, but should be called a grotesque or chimera, since a gargoyle is really a waterspout sculpture used to direct the water away from the walls of the cathedral. It's a mythical image made up of parts of many creatures and intended to be a frightening image thought to keep evil spirits away from the cathedral. I've always enjoyed these creatures because they are so imaginative and fantastic.

© Copyright 2011 by Paul Wolber

All Rights Reserved

Red-Bellied Woodpeckers

  Red-Bellied Woodpeckers Confrontation
(click photo to see more detail) 
SOLD

 8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm) original acrylic painting on hand primed board  w/free shipping in US and Canada

To receive email of new postings click below or send email to Paul

 

To see past work in my daily painters gallery click HERE 

These Red-Bellied Woodpeckers have been visiting my backyard for several years now. I've been waiting for a view that demostrates something about these colorful birds. This composition shows their territorial aggressiveness and also the distinctive markings on back and belly of this unique bird.

© Copyright 2011 by Paul Wolber

All Rights Reserved

Sandhill Cranes Doing a Two-Step

Sandhill Cranes Doing a Two-Step
SOLD

10" x 8" (25.4cm x 20.3cm) acrylic on hand primed board
Go to my other blog here: http://pwolberart.blog.com
To see past work in my dailypainters gallery click HERE.
To receive email postings of my work click below or send email to Paul


 UPDATED POSTING
As my wife and I entered Falling Water Trail in Jackson county for our bike ride, we heard the strange croaking call of Sandhill cranes. I mentioned to her I’d never been close enough to Sandhills to photograph or study them. As if they heard me, we came upon this pair about a mile down the trail. Fortunately I had my telephoto lens and was able to get good photos.

Later looking closely at their red head markings I thought the photos I’d seen before of cranes were slightly different. Further research taught me there is at least six know subspecies of Sandhill cranes. You can read more about it HERE. The strange and beautiful birds standing here in the field gave a sense of otherworldly or primordial presence. The beauty and details demanded a larger format than my usual 5” x 7” size. Here is the result of our encounter. It’s one of my favorite images.

© Copyright by Paul Wolber
All Rights Reserved

White Crowned Sparrows Conversation

            White Crowned Sparrows Conversation (click photo to see more detail)
 

8" x 10" (20.3 cm x 25.4 cm) original acrylic painting on hand primed board

To receive email postings of my work click below or send email to Paul
 
To see past work in my daily painters gallery click HERE 

This pair of White Crowned Sparrows has been coming to my backyard for several years. In this image they seemed to be in a conversation, and since I don't understand their language they probably are, hence the title of the painting.

I've been watching them for a while and finally got an image together that I wanted to paint so here it is.

© Copyright 2011 by Paul Wolber

All Rights Reserved

Security Check

                   Mother Wren Doing a Security Check
Size: 5 in. X 7 in. (12.7 cm X 17.8 cm) acrylic on hand primed board unframed $125 with free shipping in US and Canada

To receive email postings of my work click below or send email to Paul

   
To see past work in my daily painters gallery click HERE  

This is the third and last in a series of a mother House Wren I started in August of 09. Because she was moving so fast during the session while I was shooting the photos I thought she was just flitting around to find a landing spot. I discovered what she was doing after examining the stopped action photos. She was really doing a thorough security check around the birdhouse before entering to sit on her nest. I've done some additional work on this last view.

Since this is the last of the series I've got a few 5" x 7" frames left over and will include a free frame for this one but please request the free frame when you purchase the painting

© Copyright by Paul Wolber
All Rights Reserved