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The Feathered Brush
Painting and Birding 'round the Long Island Sound
by Sean Murtha on 5/10/2012 9:21:26 PM
This is a crazy time of year for a Bird Artist. First, there's the birds! Northbound migrants are appearing by the day, and for birders it is like Christmas morning for weeks on end! For the bird artist, the spring deadlines for a variety of annual juried shows have recently past and now the nail-biting wait to find out whether any of your work was chosen. The wait recently ended for three of those, and I am proud to announce that I have had work accepted into the Society of Animal Artists annual show, Art and the Animal at the Bennington [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 1/17/2012 5:05:02 PM
I've recently had four paintings accepted into the 20th Annual Associates Artist Exhibition at the Lyme Art Association, and it was only after-the-fact that I realized that each of the four plein-air landscapes represents one of the seasons of the last calendar year. Since I have not been painting very much recently (being swamped with other work), I thought it would be fun to post them here as a series, and ruminate a bit on my fondness for the climate and seasonal cycle here in the northeast.
I'm always struck by how many people complain about the weather- especially the cold of [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 11/6/2011 8:52:26 PM
I am thrilled to announce that my painting "Black Ducks Napping" has received an "Award of Excellence" from the Artists for Conservation. This painting is among the two that I have in their annual exhibition, which opened this past weekend in Vancouver, Canada. The painting also appears on the cover of the catalog of the show. Calling it a "catalog" doesn't do justice to the hardbound coffee-table style book the AFC produces for their annual shows, complete with articles and essays about the flag expeditions and other projects supported by the AFC throughout the past year. It is available at the [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 9/21/2011 10:11:37 PM
"Between Sea and Sky" oil, 2009
This is the second year that the Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield has hosted the "Birds in Their habitat" Juried art exhibition, and my first year participating. The exhibit will be on view on Saturday and Sunday September 24th and 25th, from 10 AM to 4 PM, with a Gala Preview Party on Friday the 23rd. The line-up of artists, twenty-one in all, is superb and it promises to be an excellent show. I'm certainly looking forward to it. The 2011 featured artist is Floyd Scholz, master bird carver, and he will be doing a demonstration on Saturday at 10 [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 9/19/2011 7:48:16 PM
"Sun and Spray" oil, 2011
I have just been notified by the Society of Animal Artists that my submission to their 51st annual exhibition, "Sun and Spray", has received an "Award of Excellence". This is the highest distinction bestowed by the society and I am honored to have had my painting selected. Congratulations to the other artists who also received an Award of Excellence: Jim Coe, Christine Penescu, Lori Dunn, Brian Jarvi, Terry Miller, Fred Thomas, Patricia Pepin and Kay Witherspoon. It is gratifying and humbling to be included in such an esteemed list!
Thank you to the Society of Animal Artists and the judges for the [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 5/26/2011 8:16:10 PM
"After the Rain", 2010, Sean Murtha
Last Saturday was the opening of my solo show at the Greene Art Gallery in Guilford, CT. It was a very successful day, with a good crowd, some old and new friends, collectors, and some sales. To make things even better, the weather was beautiful after a week of rain, and the world did not end as some were predicting. That's good because there are still so many paintings I want to do!
Here are a few pictures from the opening, taken by my 11 year old son, Brendan. If you were there, thanks for coming! If you weren't, there's still time; [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 5/17/2011 9:57:19 PM
"Black Ducks Napping" 24x36, 2011 Sean Murtha
Phew! The last few days have been a whirlwind, ending an exhausting last few weeks. Yesterday I delivered 20 paintings to the Greene Art Gallery for my solo show which opens tomorrow. I had picked up a few paintings from the framer on the way to the gallery, and the evening before I was finishing up framing and matting some others. I had ordered a bunch of pre-made frames for my standard-size paintings, which can be a bit of a gamble when you can never be sure exactly how well a frame will go with a picture. For the most part [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 5/11/2011 8:06:27 AM
Black-throated Blue Warbler, 2010, Sean Murtha 9x12
This is the time of year when many birders wish they had nothing else to do. These first few weeks of May, spring migration is in full swing and every morning holds the promise of a whole new cast of characters, singing up a storm in any bush, tree, or field. It is a frustrating time to have a full-time job, and this year, as I make final preparations for my solo show (see last post), I am unusually deficient in spare time. I listen enviously to reports from other birders, but have to content myself with brief lunchtime forays into [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 5/3/2011 9:58:23 PM
I've been hinting for a while, but here is the official announcement:
"Feathered Brush: Landscape and Bird Paintings of Sean Murtha"
May 18- June 19, 2011
at the Greene Art Gallery
29 Whitfield Street
Guilford, CT 06437
(203) 453-4162
Opening reception, Saturday May 21 from 3 to 5 pm
Artists talk, "Adventures with Birds and Brush", Sunday June 5 at 3 pm
Even if you aren't interested in bird paintings, this is a lovely town to visit. But please stop in to this wonderful gallery, right off the historic town green, and say hi! I will be exhibiting recent plein-air landscapes and bird paintings in watercolor and oil. Kathryn Greene [...]
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