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The Feathered Brush
Painting and Birding 'round the Long Island Sound
by Sean Murtha on 11/16/2011 9:06:11 AM
Until I was distracted by a close encounter with a Brown Pelican, I was going to write about a part of what I did last weekend. Now's my chance to catch up. On Saturday I drove up to Canton, Massachussetts to see the latest exhibit at the Massachussetts Audubon Visual Arts Center, a retrospective of the work of Robert Verity Clem. If you know his name then you don't need me to tell you how incredible this exhibit was. But chances are you have not heard of him, as he was not widely exhibited or published, and never achieved the wide [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 11/14/2011 8:01:55 PM
Having had the worst possible view of the Greenwich Pelican last week, I was treated today to a surprise fantastic view. I say surprise because the reports of other observers over the weekend seemed to indicate the possibility that the bird was moving over the border into New York State, possibly heading southwards at last. So when I did my morning reconniassance of Greenwich Point I was not too disappointed when only the usual birds turned up. Sand Island, at the entrance to Greenwich cove, was host to a number of Brant and Ruddy Turnstones, as well as gulls. All usual [...]
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by Sean Murtha on 11/10/2011 9:09:47 PM
It's amazing how easily a bird as large and unusual as a Brown Pelican can elude you! New England is out of its expected range, but every so often there are a smattering of reports of Brown Pelicans in our area. This year was exceptional- right after Hurricane Irene swept through at the tail end of August, there was an exciting week or two of unusual seabirds blown off course in Long Island Sound and even inland, eagerly ticked off by birders covering the shores like a military operation. There were several Pelican reports, but this bird (or birds- I'm not [...]
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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 11/1/2011 8:13:08 PM
"Red Island" oil, 8x10, 2011 Sean Murtha
This time of year I always begin thinking about Fourteen Acre Pond. Though I visit this pond, which is in my home town of Norwalk, CT, throughout the year, in my mind I always link it with Autumn. I have not painted there often (though I have no reasonable excuse) and I hope to change that. I did this painting there a week or two ago, and should get back soon before the colors disappear.
I first discovered Fourteen Acre pond about three years ago, as a result of a rare bird alert. I had been vaguely aware of a pond behind [...]
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