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Latest paintings, on the coast and a rare bird visits Newbiggin!

21/5/2020

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We have been very lucky here in Newbiggin by the Sea with the weather. We've had some warm, sunny days that have allowed myself and my partner John Graham, to get out on our bikes for a couple of hours and cycle along the coast. After 7 weeks of limited movement during the Covid-19 lockdown, getting back out to enjoy our beautiful Northumberland coastline again was wonderful.  Here I share some photos of that day plus photos of recent artworks in progress or completed. Finally, a bird rarity to Newbiggin! 

Newbiggin in the sun

Last week we went out for a bike ride along the coast. We cycled up to Beacon's Point, which is a popular spot for birdwatchers, being that it turns up rarities from time to time. It was a warm day and we sat on the cliff edge for a while before heading towards Lynemouth power station in the search for Flycatchers and Whinchats. We walked along the path at the side of the golf course which is covered in gorse bushes and an ideal place for birds to nest. This was where John once photographed a Red-spotted Bluethroat. A rarity  which attracted a large group of photographers from miles around who set up their cameras on the beach and waited for hours in the hope they got a look, some did, others wasn't so lucky (me included) The latest rarity that turned up in Newbiggin can be found at the bottom of this blog.

'On the Easel' - Kingfisher in Acrylics

I have had some relaxing evenings in the studio recently. Having set my sights on completing some of my unfinished paintings which have been sitting on the shelf for a while, I got the paints back out. The Kingfisher painting is a simple composition, but this is what makes it so effective. This bird overpowers its drab surroundings so extra detail is not really needed. The wooden post was created using a mix of paint and texture gel and the raindrops added at the end helped to frame the bird perfectly. This is a 9" x 12" acrylic painting which is available for sale framed or unframed. You ca see some framed examples below.
​Get in touch for details about purchasing this painting.
The reference image used for this painting was taken by John last year. Being surrounded by open fields and small, woodland areas, there is always an abundance of wildlife. The Kingfisher momentarily posed on the wooden post early one morning, giving John enough time to capture a few images, before it departed.
Visit the dedicated page of the Kingfisher painting - See how it came together and purchase

'On the Easel' - Bullfinch & Apple Blossom acrylic painting

This painting was created using two reference images, the Bullfinch and the blossom. There is a cycle path close to home, which has a long row of apple blossom trees where you often see Bullfinches. Although I was able to get photos of the trees in blossom, I was not lucky enough to get a Bullfinch posing at the same time and so used one of John's Bullfinch images.
This is an 8" x 8" acrylic painting which will be available for sale upon completion, either framed or unframed. Contact me for details about purchasing this portrait.

What a find!

John was extremely lucky one morning to capture a glimpse of the stunning European Bee-Eater as it flew over a lake close to home. Although it was a long way off, there is no mistaking the Bee-Eater with its long beak and vibrant colours. Although there have been sightings of Bee-Eaters around the country, this is the first time a Bee-Eater has been seen in Newbiggin by the sea.
European Bee-eater seen in Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland, UK
European Bee-Eater in Newbiggin by the Sea, Northumberland,UK
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Currently on the Easel....Mr & Mrs Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland

7/3/2017

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I was approached by a returning customer from the USA to create a Coloured pencil portrait of a Barn Owl and offered to create a few mock ups of compositions before I began as I always do. As a lover of photography I have a large photo reference library of various animals and birds including Barn Owls and so put together 5 different compositions one of which was the 2 Owls on the wall which became the basis of the portrait. The second stage was creating a few mock ups of the Owls within different backgrounds and finally, with the Owls and background in place the last collection of mock ups made were with various walls for the Owls to stand on which were in focus and added interest to the final composition. Many of my Wildlife portraits are created this way.
Early progress of a Coloured pencil portrait of Barn Owls on a wall
The first stages
Progress of a Coloured pencil Barn Owl on tan Ursus paper
Mr Owl so far
I chose a tan toned paper to work on which matches the warm tones of the Barn owls as well as giving strength in colour to the lighter tones such as the whites. The tonal background will be created using Derwent's Coloursoft range pencils which are soft and blend well for great effect and the Owls & the wall will be created using the caran Dache Luminance pencils which are ideal for very fine detail and strength of colour. A base layer of tones and loose detail is first applied to the whole of the portrait before I then apply the stronger & finer details to completion.
Coloured pencil Barn Owl head portrait in progress
Loose details of the male Owls face
Drawing moss on a wall within a Barn Owl portrait created with Coloured pencils
The moss - a good 3 hours in....

The Barn Owl at Cresswell, Northumberland (UK)

This portrait is based on actual Barn Owl territory at Cresswell in Northumberland (UK). It is a 40 minute cycle ride from where I live along the beautiful coastal route of Lynemouth through to Cresswell pond, this place regularly has Photographers set up waiting for this little guy to make an appearance. Sitting in the undergrowth of the wide open field which connects to a lagoon where you can regularly see Avocets, Oystercatchers & even Otters on the rare occasion, is an area overlooking the coast and is ideal for field mice and voles. I wait patiently as I see him in the distance, flying silently and hovering on numerous occasions, not at all phased by the long line of photographers with their huge cameras on tripods waiting to get some great photos themselves. There is something breathtaking about seeing such a Bird in the Wild and feeling honoured that this Owl continues it's daily journey passing close by whilst I click the rapid fire button on my camera. Here are some of those photos.
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Bespoke Commissions - Looking for a specific piece of Art by me? Read on...

5/2/2017

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Most people visiting my website would understandably think that I only take on Pet & portrait Commissions but I actually create various Commissions if someone is looking for something specific.  The 3 images below were created using an editing program to cut and paste various sections of other photographs to create the one 'mock up' which becomes the reference photo for the portrait. As a huge fan of photography, I have collected thousands of photographs of various animals, birds & subjects that can be used for a bespoke portrait whenever requested.
2 Barn Owls sat on a wall in Cresswell, Northumberland
​The Barn Owls were taken on 2 separate occasions at the Butterfly House in Sheffield, the background was taken in Cresswell, Northumberland which actually has a Barn owl flying through the middle of the image (see the back of the left Owls head) and the wall was taken on different day at Woodhorn church in Northumberland. They were all roughly 'stuck' together to create a single 
​composition and the Artwork, which will be completed in Coloured pencils for a returning customer from the US, will be created by balancing out incorrect lighting and generally offering a more appealing and balanced background. This is currently in progress and a link to the progress page will be applied to the image when available if you wish to see it come together.
The Sumatran Tiger was also created in Coloured pencils for a returning customer who allowed me to create my own composition. The Tiger image was taken at a Zoo of which you can still see the bars, the water, rocks in the foreground and the tree branches at the top left of the image were all cut from individual images to create the one composition. You can see the final Artwork by clicking on the image.
Sumatran Tiger in green water and surrounded by greenery
Girl with green hair image edited using Picmonkey
The Green girl was created purely for a competition entry for the USA Colored pencil Magazine. You could pull any section from the image itself and create your own composition, for this I uploaded it into Picmonkey and literally played around with different tones, overlays and applications until I came up with the final reference image, click the image to view the progress page.
If you have your own idea for a piece of Art that you would like to Commission me to create in Coloured pencils or Acrylics, you can drop me an E-mail direct at: karenmberisfordart@gmail.com, fill in my CONTACT FORM or BOOKING/QUOTE FORM or even give me a call on: 07854 677416 with your own idea. Here is another bespoke Commission that was requested for a Wedding Day and another for a very special portrait that captured the moments of a romantic Engagement
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Cresswell Pond & Druridge Pools Nature Reserves

13/5/2015

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After having spent a hectic week back in Chesterfield (my old home town) to run my Coloured pencil 'Pet portrait' Workshop which ran on the 9th of May (2015) and catching up with family and friends too, once back home in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, I decided to take a rare day off from work to recuperate and myself and my partner John Graham, decided to head out on the bikes with our camera's to hopefully capture some new reference material and simply enjoy Mother Nature in all her glory! We headed off up the coastal road through Cresswell stopping off at Cresswell Pond to spend some time in their hide looking out at the waders and ending up at Druridge Pools who also has a few hides dotted around their lake too. A 20 mile round trip gathering such great photos were totally worth sore bottoms the next day!! 
There is nothing quite like getting out in to the thick of Nature, capturing my own photographs to use in my work and this is as important to me as the quality of the products I use. I hope I am able to portray that rawness and soul of the moment the subject was captured understanding the surroundings and even the weather conditions at the time are just as important. There is nothing quite like seeing Wildlife being wild and allowing us to take a peek into their life is the greatest honour!
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    artist Karen M Berisford in her studio and her coloured pencil drawing of a Rottweiler

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