War photos and an Oyster Catcher from New Zealand

The Oyster Catcher

This is one of my favourite birds and we see it often at Raumati Beach, our resident

pair are now missing and we hope that they are successfully raising some

chicks elsewhere.  They seem to move away to nest, perhaps to somewhere

quieter with less people and dogs.

The Battle in the Atlantic WWII

Here are two photographs taken by my Uncle during World War II, he served in the Royal Navy

and was a keen photographer.  The first one is taken during the Battle of the Atlantic where he

served on a corvette, although I don't know what the story is around this photograph it does

seem to be taken from a life boat. 



He also served in the waters around South Africa and took this photograph while ashore.

All his photographs are now held by the Royal Navy Museum in Portsmouth, England.

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blog

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2018

A Visit from the Kereru

A Visit from the Kereru

Very unusually a kereru came into our garden yesterday, we have never had

one here before and can only think that it was attracted by all the tui

activity in our kowhai tree.  The tui seem to do a circuit around here in the

Spring, going from kowhai to kowhai feeding on the nectar.

Here is our most bossy resident tui complaining loudly at the interloper

Kereru in the cherry tree

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blog

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2017

Spring Garden Painting from New Zealand

A Spring Garden Painting

Spring at last and a new painting to celebrate the end of Winter.

The tui are going crazy in  our kowhai tree and chortling

away in the cherry as well.

This is not my first circular painting but it's a good format

to work on and I may make a series to follow this one.

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective BlogSpot

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2017

Paintings of New Zealand Orchids

New Zealand Orchids

I painted these three works of New Zealand orchids under the bush canopy.

Two of them are perching orchids and one is a spider orchid which

grows on the ground.  Perching orchids are quite easy to see in the

bush growing in the clefts of established trees.  They are also quite

plentiful and easy to find, they are a lovely sight when they are in bloom.

The spider and hood orchids are rarer but I have seen them and

some grassland orchids too.

These photos I are made up of ladies slipper orchids

and ladies tresses orchids

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2017

Animals in Namibia and Botswana

Animals from Namibia and Botswana

My brother just returned from a trip to Namibia and Botswana, he took

the following photos which are worth seeing.  The animals were plentiful

but always at risk from poachers, last year they lost 61 rhinos in one of

these parks.  The rangers shoot to kill, the poachers don't get a second chance!

Early morning elephant in Etosha National Park

Early morning animals drinking

Giraffes

Some lion cubs

Painted dogs on the lookout

A sausage tree in Botswana

Evening elephants at the water

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blog

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2017



Reserves in New Zealand

Reserves

I made this work in 1992 for an exhibition called 'Reserves' which was shown at Te Manawa in that year.

It focused on two reserves one not far from where we were living at the time in Whanganui called the Bason Reserve and the other in the Tongariro National Park - the Te Porere redoubt.

Te Porere was built in 1869 by Te Kooti where opposing Te Arawa, Ngati Kahungunu, Pakeha and Whanganui military contingents assembled to fight what was to become known as the last battle of the land wars of the 1860s.

I wanted to combine two quite different sites one a defence structure and one an area for relaxation and enjoyment which had been kindly gifted by Stanley and Blanche Bason to the community of Whanganui.

To do this I used a painting borrowed from Abraham Mignon of a flower arrangement and collages from many photographs taken at the sites as well as other borrowed images.  The formal design of a knot garden seemed to be a perfect way to show the colour and display of a recreational garden against the plan of the redoubt which was designed for defence and became both a battle and a grave site containing the remains of warriors.

Such a tragic historical event needed to be treated with great care and respect, paintings of warriors - both men and women - who fought at Te Porere can be seen in the Whanganui Museum.

The exhibition was also shown there in 1993 as part of Suffrage Year, it was 100 years since women achieved the vote in New Zealand on 19 September 1893.

'Still  Life'

Me working on 'Still Life'

'Te Porere Tre-foy'

'Venetian Flowers'

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2017

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blog

Christchurch Buildings Before the Earthquake

Drawings of the Cathedral Square

I made these drawings of Christchurch buildings when I was a student at

Ilam Art School in the 1960s.  Both were given to us as projects while

we were studying.  The first one was a design for a scarf using Cathedral

Square, and I did actually screen print this onto a cotton square. I remember

that Rosemary's Baby was showing at the cinema and in the bottom

left you can see a small image of a baby.

The next was an exercise to design a cup and saucer which could be used

as a souvenir from Christchurch.

Pattern to go around the cup

The Saucer

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blog

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2017