This is The Art of BAS Diary where I'll share my day to day experiences as an artist.
A very pleasurable experience in South Africa came when BAS and friends assisted in the relocation of two male white rhino’s who were in danger of being killed by a dominant male in the area. The rhino’s were first tracked down by helicopter, the vet on board then shot tranquilizer darts to immobilize the rhino’s enough to enable them to be guided into a reinforced trailer. They were both happily relocated nearby and it was a successful operation for all concerned.
White Rhino re-location
“Monarch of Glen Alladale” is now available as a Fine Art Canvas Limited Edition.
This Fine Art Canvas Limited Edition is being sold to raise funds in support of the visionary conservation work being undertaken at Alladale. It is hoped that the reintroduction of species will continue and the area will once again show the natural wilderness splendor of its glorious past.
Watch The Real Monarch of the Glen on BBC2 Friday evenings at 7pm, it’s great viewing, very entertaining and informative.
Oil Painting on Canvas
The Art of BAS is working with The Elephant Trust (Amboseli Trust for Elephants, www.elephantrust.org), having spent time with their researchers in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Cynthia Moss is the world’s foremost elephant expert and she works tirelessly in the field with her equally dedicated team. Echo is a well known matriarch of one of Amboseli’s herds, she has become famous through several BBC documentaries over the years. Now in her senior years, Echo has been taken to heart by many and has given the researchers the most intimate portrayal of elephant behavior, welcoming them into the life of her herd.
Funds raised through the sales of BAS’ Echo painting, “Echo of Amboseli”, and Fine Art Canvas Limited Edition will directly aid The Elephant Trust (Amboseli Trust for Elephants) and their invaluable work amongst African elephants in particular. The African elephant, as with her Asian cousins, are experiencing unprecedented pressures from mankind and are suffering in many ways. Let’s hope that the future is bright for these magnificent creatures, our largest land mammal, that has such a big hearted and gentle nature. The Echo painting and Fine Art Canvas Limited Editions are now available and we trust that the collectors support will greatly assist the work of The Elephant Trust (Amboseli Trust for Elephants).
There are new Conservation Projects soon to be undertaken by The Art of BAS, please review the Conservation Projects section on The Art of BAS website to read about them and join us in whatever way you are able to in supporting the plight of wildlife and nature around this fragile globe.
www.BAS-ART.com
BAS is currently completing an oil painting entitled “Monarch of Glen Alladale” which depicts a regal red deer stag in the grand setting of Glen Alladale. This painting will be published as a Fine Art Canvas Limited Edition, from which the proceeds will assist the conservation work being carried out at the Alladale Wilderness Lodge & Reserve in the Scottish Highlands. Alladale is the visionary work of Paul Lister, founder of the European Nature Trust, whose passion for conservation is pioneering such valuable work in Scotland and elsewhere in Europe.
The BBC are presently running a six part series on Monday evenings at 8pm entitled “The real Monarch of the Glen” on BBC2 Scotland (Sky Channel 990), the episodes are to be aired on BBC2 in August.
www.alladale.com; www.mikebirkhead.com
BAS and Su Lees will be holding a 3 day Art Course at Nature in Art, Gloucester, this coming October. Please contact Nature in Art (www.nature-in-art.org.uk tel:01452 731422) for further details and enroll as soon as possible since the Art Course is limited to twelve people. It’ll be a very creative few days and we very much look forward to your company at this wonderful location.
Having considered various options for setting up a Shopping Cart and Payment Process system on my website I have finally chosen Roman Cart and PayPal Pro. The Shopping Cart allows CSS design and can therefore be designed to the overall look of the website. PayPal Pro provide an all round service and have the necessary security safeguards in place for online payments.
There’s a multitude of combinations that could be used but a decision has to be made as to what would best suit your website business. Check out my website in a little while to see the whole set up integrated online.
It’s been a mixture of work this week here in the studio. Although I’ve been concentrating on painting I’ve also been occupied seeking out options for a shopping cart that would work well with my website. Thankfully I don’t have to set it all up myself but it’s good to look around for whatever is best suited. Any great recommendations just let me know!
It’s a beautiful Autumn day and I hope to get some fresh air at the end of the afternoon, too good to miss! Back to the easel now and plenty to do before the day is out.
A new week in the studio begins, it’s Monday morning and after an action packed weekend I’m ready for the quiet solitude of the studio! The weekends surf was excellent and the exercise was much needed. Rugby’s World Cup has now reached the final stage, England v South Africa will be next Saturdays final and it’ll be an interesting game for sure.
Today I’ll be painting but there’s other work matters to attend to, that’s always the case on a Monday morning in particular. Sometimes the artist would prefer never to have to be involved with any other aspects of work other than painting itself, however, reality dictates that the artist has to be well rounded in the career and has to develop those skills which perhaps don’t come naturally. I’m trusting that it’ll be a productive week ahead and hope that you’ll find it likewise to be productive and rewarding at the same time.
Raining this morning but that won’t matter while surfing, it’s looking good and I’ll be going in the sea very soon. Been painting for a while but the waves are drawing my attention so the option to play looms large! It’s good to break up the usual routines, sometimes that invigorates work when you get back to it – so that’s my excuse for taking time out today.
Later this evening England are playing France in the semi-final of the Rugby World Cup, that’s a must see event, followed by tomorrows game where South Africa meet Argentina. There’s been some very unexpected results so far so I don’t want to predict the outcome of this weekends games!
My days as a sportsman have been swamped by the demands of being an artist, but I try to be active and keep my interest in various pursuits. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so lets keep mixing the usual routines and find room to play!
