”On Birds wings” exhibition opens 27.8. in Gallery Karaija.

Red Elderberry is a beatiful plant with its bright colors and arching branches. It grows all summer and leafs are still small in branch tips.

In this painting female Slavonian Grebe offers a feather to its young. Slavonian Grebe chicks eat small fish and spiny water insects that could block their stomach. Eaten feathers will help bringing these undigested things out safely.

This painting is painted on 20×20cm Ampersand clayboard. During the painting work I realized that I should have done this in bigger size. Now birds are only 12cm long and many details are tiny and that’s why difficult to paint. Now I will put this painting away for at least a week. Then I will see what mistakes are left and I can fix them.

Cameras struggle always with faint blue hues. I got best result when I photographed this painting out side and in shadow.

First testing’s were not very successful. I did not realize how thin layers I should make and I also learned that it is better to make parts separately and glue them together after drying. First test was calypso flower made of Luna clay. Next proper calypso should be made of Sukerukun that I think will produce more realistic look.

Next I started to work with water soldier plant for Siikalahti exhibition. This plant leaves are like a saw when you look close. First leaf attempts were far too thigh and not at all realistic. Finally I found technique that worked: I rolled clay to very thin layer between foils. Then some acrylic paint shades on the top, couple of minutes wait and cutting with self made cutting tool. Every leaf was pressed against veiner tool and shaped to different forms.

I was not happy with the first plants so I dissembled them and made more better leafs for next version. It is possible to re shape leaves a bit with heating them. Next steps are final shaping, painting and making saw edge to all leaves.

I work often with several paintings simultaneously. This saves mixed paints if there is leftover from one painting, it might be possible to use it in another. This unfinished illustration presents introduced waterfowl.

Colored pencil gives scale. Mandarine Duck and Wood Duck are 3,5 cm high. Eye has then diameter of bit more than 1mm!

I tested using latex masking fluid in the Grebe painting. I realised right away when erasing the stuff away, that it does not work well in this kind of paintings. Edge lines are just too harsh. Painting and scratching process would be easier if I use only light paper masks or just paint the firs layers by freehand. Sometimes there can be then problem when objects in painting have veil of over flown paint around them. This excess paint layer is usually possible to erase or cover.