Waxwings on my birthday!

waxwings-by-stephen-valentine

Waxwings (Bombycilla garrulus) may possibly be my favourite bird, and I’ve posted a couple of times about encounters with them – see: Waxwing winter and Waxwings in Northants.

So for my birthday last weekend I was stunned and delighted by a gift from my wife Karin: a specially commissioned illustration of waxwings by a very talented artist friend of ours, Stephen Valentine, who is based in Denmark.

I think Stephen has beautifully captured both the alert intelligence of these birds, always on the look-out for food and predators, and their subtle and striking colouration. It’s such an honour to own a piece like this!

If you’re interested, Stephen regularly takes commissions; you can find him on Facebook by searching for “Studio Sejerø”, or I can put you in touch with him.

Thanks Karin, thanks Stephen! 🙂

10 thoughts on “Waxwings on my birthday!”

Lynne February 16, 2017 at 9:55 am

A nice bird and a lovely present. Happy Birthday Lx

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Stephen Valentine February 16, 2017 at 10:25 am

Thanks for your kind comments Jeff. It was a real pleasure drawing them for you and a good challenge. I’m pretty pleased with the result too.

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jeffollerton Post authorFebruary 16, 2017 at 10:36 am

Thanks Stephen, you should be. Going to find a frame for it this weekend.

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hilarymb February 16, 2017 at 5:28 pm

Hi Jeff – what a fantastic piece of art-work … and wax wings are so pretty … lovely thoughtful present from your wife, and as Stephen says ‘he did do a pretty good job- and should be pleased with himself’ ……. all in all a very successful and happy birthday year … cheers Hilary

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