World Water Day from New Zealand

Two Lakes on World Water Day

Here are two paintings of New Zealand Lakes for World Water Day.

The first is Lake Rotomahana made from a photograph taken in

1865, and before the massive Tarawera Eruption which took place on the 10th of June 1886. 

 Several villages were buried and 150 people died.

There were some portents of the forth coming eruption and I have tried

to capture the foreboding atmosphere.

The second one is of Lake Tarawera from  Wairoa in 1873.  Before the eruption a ghost

canoe was seen on the lake by one of the tour guides and bubbles of very fine

glass floated to the surface.

Both of these paintings were made from historic photographs, Mt Tarawera was blown

apart from the force of the eruption and the Pink and White Terraces which were an

important tourist attraction were destroyed.



Frances Jill Studd website

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All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2018

Drawings from a New Zealand Wetland

Drawings from a Wetland

I made these drawings from plants I collected while walking around our local

wetland.  There were a large variety of non-native species which lent

themselves to this particular way of making images.

I also made some small paintings from the earlier Spring flowers which

appeared in gardens adjacent to the wetland, this particular diptych

is from a magnolia tree.

Frances Jill Studd website

Midnight Collective Blog

All images copyright Frances Jill Studd 2018

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