Regulars to the blog will remember I attempted a painting of this photo in July which I wasn't happy with at the time but it has grown on me a bit
 |
| Llyn Cau © Sharon Whitley |
Anyway, after our walk up to one of the most stunning places in Wales, we drove across to Rhayader and Gigrin Farm where they feed the local red kites each day at 3pm. Soon after entering Powys we realised why the red kite is the much loved symbol of this vast county as we saw a few overhead on our drive down and I got very excited at these sightings. Little did I know I would soon be seeing hundreds of these magnificent birds swooping down to grasp their food supplements for the day. There were literally hundreds of them, and a few buzzards taking advantage of the free food too! Gary took some beautiful photos while we were there which I'm sure will soon be on his blog site. I'll definitely be painting one or two of these I think! In the meantime though I'm posting a coloured pencil sketch I did of a red kite early last year, my first go at coloured pencil so its not that good! I'd like to give cp another try some time as I've not really given them a chance and could do with experimenting with them a bit more.
 |
| Red Kite © Sharon Whitley |
To make the day even more special we had the most gorgeous weather, beautiful blue skies perfect for photography - I forgot my paints so no plein air, although I was so busy enjoying watching the kites I don't think I'd have done any even if I did have the paints with me! The rest of the weekend continued to be lovely and sunny and on Saturday I led a group of walkers on a circular walk from Loggerheads to Moel Famau and back, a beautiful, leisurely walk with wonderful views of Snowdonia from the summit, and luckily I didn't lose anybody en route!
 |
| Gary and I enjoying the views |
I love this photo that was taken by another Sharon who joined us on the walk, this is the view to Moel Famau from Loggerheads at the start of the walk. I'm hoping we get just as good weather next weekend as we're off to the Lake District on Friday for 3 days, lots of walking and more plein air painting to bore you with! I'll hopefully get a red kite painting in before then though! Til next time fellow bloggers, take care of yourselves!
I look forward to many..many..more pictures, Sharon. The Red Kite is amazing as well! I could never get bored with your pictures...your paintings are awesome!
ReplyDeleteaah thank you Hilda what a lovely comment x
DeleteSharon I can guarantee the sight of the red kite feeding frenzy will stay with you for a very long time. I was lucky enough to see the very same thing in west Scotland a few years ago. These birds are just awesome. They look like raptors but their behaviour is so different. They are more like scavengers and close to the crow family in behaviour. Very mind blowing considering what they look like. One for both our paintings lists I think as I've meant to do one of these for ages. There's always so many things I want to paint and I know you are the same. Lovely post.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing your kite Laura when you get round to painting one - Gary has his photos sorted now and they're on his blog - I've chosen the one I want to paint just a matter of painting it now!
DeleteGorgeous photos... what a treat to see such a beautiful bird.
ReplyDeleteHi Elaine, it was a treat indeed and in gorgeous weather too!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous post - that place looks so beautiful, no wonder it's your favourite and those blue skies are amazing!! Kites are stunning - I saw a few when we were up in the wilds of Scotland and on the Isle of Skye although we never managed to take photos as they would fly off as soon as we took the lens caps off! Your pencil sketch is really good as is your watercolour of the landscape. I'll look forward to seeing the painting of the kites from the photos you took!
ReplyDeletethank you, Cadair Idris is a stunning place and I never tire of visiting, and seeing the kites was amazing!
DeleteWhat a gorgeous part of the world!!! I think your painting captured the scene extremely well - I like it!
ReplyDeletethank you Kathryn I wasn't at all happy with the painting when I first did it but it has grown on me since and I quite like it now
DeleteKites are fabulous. They introduced some to a place about 10 miles away from us a few years ago and they are thriving. They make fabulous viewing. Lovely pictures and paintings.
ReplyDeleteso you see them around your area then Mick, lucky you!
DeleteIt was a brilliant day, the Kites were amazing and the pics will be on my page eventually, only 1600 to sort through!!
ReplyDeletethey were brill as are your photos
DeleteWow! What stunning photos and art! I am in awe of your talent. Thanks for your lovely comment on my blog and for following me. I have seen three wild Red Kites, one near the A66 not far from Carlisle and two (separate occasions) near Stamford. On all three occasions I whooped for joy and had a big smile on my face for days afterwards!
ReplyDeleteoh what a lovely comment, it's wonderful how seeing these birds can make you feel so happy isn't it.
Delete