Monday, 11 January 2016

Audubon: Birds of America part 4

John James Audubon by John Syme

John James Audubon (1785 - 1851) is perhaps the most renowned wildlife artist in America, universally acknowledged by both art and natural history museums. He was born in 1875 in Les Cayes, Santo Domingo (now Haiti).

From his father's Pennsylvania estate, Audubon made the first bird-ringing experiments. After failing in various business ventures, he concentrated on drawing and studying birds, which took him from Florida to Labrador. His extraordinary four-volume The Birds of America, first published in London in 1827, was a 12-year enterprise that exponentially increased the knowledge of American ornithological and natural history.


The images featured in this series are mainly hand-coloured etchings and aquatints, with a few original watercolours here and there. (You can click on individual images to enlarge them).



This is part 4 of a 7-part series on Audubon's Birds of America:


Foolish Guillemot

Forked tailed Petrel

Forked-tailed Flycatcher

Fox-coloured Sparrow

Frigate Pelican

Fulmar Petrel

Gannet

Glossy Ibis

Golden Crested Wren A.W., Sylvia Regulus 
transparent and opaque watercolour, chalk on paper 45.4 x 29.2 cm
Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA

Golden Eagle

Golden Plover

Golden-crowned Thrush

Golden-eye Duck

Golden-winged Warbler and Cape May Warbler

Golden-winged Woodpecker

Goosander

Goshawk and Stanley Hawk

Great American Hen & Young

Great Auk

Great blue Heron

Great Cinereous Owl

Great Eskimo Curlew

Great Horned Owl

Great Marbled Godwit

Great Northern Diver, or Loon

Great Red breasted Rail or Fresh-water Marsh Hen

Great White Heron

Great-footed Hawk

Green Heron

Green winged Teal

Ground Dove

Hairy Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpecker and Three-toed Woodpecker 
watercolour original

Harris's Buzzard

Havell's Tern and Trudeau's Tern

Hawk Owl

Hemlock Warbler

Herring Gull

Hooping Crane

Horned Grebe

Hudsonian Godwit

Iceland, or Jer Falcon

Ivory Gull

Friday, 8 January 2016

Audubon: Birds of America part 3



John James Audubon (1785 - 1851) is perhaps the most renowned wildlife artist in America, universally acknowledged by both art and natural history museums. He was born in 1875 in Les Cayes, Santo Domingo (now Haiti).

From his father's Pennsylvania estate, Audubon made the first bird-ringing experiments. After failing in various business ventures, he concentrated on drawing and studying birds, which took him from Florida to Labrador. His extraordinary four-volume The Birds of America, first published in London in 1827, was a 12-year enterprise that exponentially increased the knowledge of American ornithological and natural history.


The images featured in this series are mainly hand-coloured etchings and aquatints, with a few original watercolours here and there. (You can click on individual images to enlarge them).



This is part 3 of a 7-part series on Audubon's Birds of America:


California Turkey Vulture

Californian Vulture

Californian Partridge

Canada Goose

Canada Jay

Canada Warbler

Canadian Titmouse

Canvas backed Duck

Cardinal Grosbeak 
chalk, pencil, watercolour and ink on paper 42.6 x 29 cm
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC

Carolina Parrot

Carolina Pigeon or Turtle Dove

Cayenne Tern

Cerulean Warbler

Chesnut ( Chestnut )-backed Titmouse, Black-capt ( capped ) Titmouse,
and Chesnut ( Chestnut )-crowned Titmouse

Chestnut-coloured Finch, Black-headed Siskin, Black Crown Bunting
and Arctic Ground Finch

Chuck-will's Widow

Cock of the Plains

Columbia Jay

Columbian Humming Bird

Columbian Water Ouzel and Arctic Water Ouzel

Common American Gull

Common American Swan

Common Buzzard

Common Cormorant

Common Gallinule

Connecticut Warbler

Cormorant

Crested Grebe

Crested Titmouse A.W., Parus Bicolor 
transparent and opaque watercolour and graphite on paper 43.7 x 21.9 cm
Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA

Dusky Albatros

Dusky Duck

Eared Grebe

Eider Duck

Eskimo Curlew

Evening Grosbeak and Spotted Grosbeak

Evening Grosbeak, Black-headed Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak watercolour original

Ferruginous Mocking Bird

Field Sparrow

Fish Crow

Fish Hawk, or Osprey

Florida Jay