Judith Swift
Watercolours, limited edition prints of birds and butterflies
www.judithswiftgallery.com
judithswift@btinternet.com
I was inspired to start painting butterflies after moving to Silverdale several years ago. The area is a real 'hot spot' for many nationally rare butterflies.
In nature the vividly coloured patterns on the wings of butterflies are made up of a mass of minute coloured scales. In my watercolour paintings I use a stippling technique with a fine brush to create this effect. It is the fine detail and wing shape that separates one butterfly species from another. Each butterfly illustration is life size and takes over ten hours to paint. I use my own photographs and those of museum specimens as references.
People often ask me why butterflies? A few years ago I studied for a Certificate in Biological recording and identification at Birmingham University. I decided that painting butterflies would be a novel way of learning about them. Unlike some lepidopterist I don't collect butterfly specimens from the wild preferring to 'capture' them on paper and camera.
The Silverdale art trail has become a regular date in my diary. This is now my fourth year. I am a Podiatrist by profession but the event has always inspired me to devote some of my spare time to painting. Encouraged by comments about my bird paintings these have again been my main subject matter this year. I am currently working on two portraits of a young Goshawk based on some photographs I took at a Falconry display in the summer. However time permitting there may be a few new butterfly paintings exhibited.
Original watercolours and limited edition prints available.
