My Birds on Canvas Exhibition statement:
Discovering the beauty and serenity of photographing birds.
I had the pleasure of being sedentary for 3 months in
Norfolk, UK during February-May 2016. My wife and I were visiting for the birth
of a first granddaughter for one of our daughters, the fourth of our
granddaughters and sixth of our grandchildren. So among the joys and challenges
of such an event, it was a rare opportunity for an extended break in a
different environment to develop my skills with my camera as I explored Norfolk
and the few other places in the UK to which we ventured.
For my birthday in
2015 I purchased my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 digital bridge camera. I had
previously been more than content with various point and shoot cameras which
had served us well in capturing memories of life as it was lived and enjoyed.
As talk of retirement had begun, the apparent need for interests other than
work became a theme of conversation. Photography and canoeing were often
mentioned, along with spending time between kids and grand-kids and, well,
whatever it was that recently colleagues seemed to be doing that made them
carry a permanent smile with them J.
So, I had 3 months in Norfolk with my camera. I had the
luxury of time and flat county with an approx. 40 mile radius bordered on the
north and east by the North Sea. We were based in and near Norwich city by some
lakes amid farmland. Winter was nearing spring in an environment where
deciduous equated to seeing nature naked and begin to reclothe herself. So, I
was looking forward to exploring in luxury of the time I had with the very good
camera I had in my hands.
So, to birds …
My son-in law’s father, Sean, invited me to go bird-watching
on 23 March around Cley Marshes on the north coast. It was an overcast, still,
bleak afternoon. The walk around the marshes and along the stony beach being
lapped by a very passive North Sea, was however, fascinating for the range of
birdlife observed. This was the first of several such excursions, alone and in
company, around the many reserves of Norfolk and Suffolk that fostered my
interest in photographing birds in their natural environments.
One other pivotal moment for me was a day near the end of
our 3 months wandering RSPB MInsmere (Suffolk) for 5 hours with Sean and his
long-time friend and birdwatcher extraordinaire, Geoffrey. Geoffrey has been
reporting his bird sighting monthly since in 1959! That 5 hours was quite the
education. The photos below offer a sense of my gratitude and the ease with
which one easily feels immersed in the moment and space … a reflection of where
it all began for me …
This is Sean (left) and Geoffrey scanning at one point
across RSPB Minsmere.
The next two encapsulate for me the sense of satisfaction
and beauty you get to behold when you take the time to “tread lightly, listen
with your eyes and watch with your ears” J
… reed warblers are very easy hear but very secretive about emerging from the
reeds. You hear them easily, and with enough patience may be rewarded with a
flash of movement to track … the first one is on a bullrush head amidst the
extensive reed beds at RSPB Minsmere; the second is in the reeds on the south
side of the Lake at Blickling Estate (Norfolk) the day before our 3 months was
up.
So from these inspirations I have been far more
aware of, and so noticed far more of the wondrous range of birds we have on our
Far North coast doorstep (with a single exception from the Adelaide Hills) …
just because I have taken a bit more time to stop and notice what is here. I
hope you enjoy the sample J. 
Set out below are several photos presented to offer a sense of the exhibition space. The first two show the hanging "wall" standing down the centre of the ground floor atrium space. On either side of the wall are the photos exhibited on canvas. Most were 30 x 30 (cm), some 30 x 20 (cm) and one was 30 x 40 (cm). At the top of the second photo, and on the third photo you can obtain a sense of scale for the fantastic digital version of the photos (described below) that was prepared to complement the photo canvases.
The photo above provides a sense of scale for the digital version which was displayed on a similar screen at the Gold Coast (GC) campus library - the GC screen is the same size but the rectangle is "on its side" offering a third perspective 😊. Each canvas had a description (see photo pages) as well as some details of the camera settings, date the photo was taken, and location co-ordinates on a sticky label for the viewers (see bottom left of photo below). The digital version simply presented this same information on the very large screen in a much more visually stunning manner:
- top third used the co-ordinates with Google Earth to zoom between locations;
- middle third is the original digital photo; and
- bottom third shows other details as though (literally) written in a field notepad.
Each photo displayed moved to the next every 15 seconds; simultaneously the location zoomed out and back in to the next and the notepad changed to the next page! There was also a birdsong soundtrack (not specific sounds for these birds) played subtly in the background to add to the sensory experience. Thank you Jeremy Austin for your vision & expertise!
This final photo shows the Bird on Canvas welcome for patrons entering from the Plaza end of the SCU Learning Space building. My thanks to Libby Pownall and other Library staff for their enthusiastic hosting of the exhibition.
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