The Inspiration and Journey Behind the Nests on Claybord Series

As I have mentioned before, nature and wildlife have been a constant inspiration all my life. I have always been intrigued by the rhythm and cycle of the lives of birds and wild animals in the rural environment I grew up in. On my daily walks and observations whilst growing up in the depths of the countryside in Suffolk, I couldn't really miss nature all around me, which is why my paintings are so influenced by it.

The story behind the nests on claybord series really began during the awful COVID pandemic. Once we were let out after the initial lock-down, I was able to team up with my fellow artist, Laura, for socially distanced walks with our dogs in the countryside near Ipswich. We were well away from main roads and towns, and it was beautiful to walk in such a peaceful landscape. As we walked, we talked about life, but also about the countryside and nature we came across. I was always enthusiastically pointing out wildflowers (remembering the project I did as a young person, collecting over 300 types of wildflower, learning their names, and pressing them). We also discussed the birds we encountered, including a new sighting for both of us - a flock of yellowhammers.

I also became a little obsessed with any nests I saw. In that and the following spring, there were lots of nests in the bare trees and bushes, left from the previous year. I always took photos for reference for future artworks. Then one day, Laura brought me a gift. It was a little chaffinch nest that her husband had found on the ground in their village. It was so sweet, still intact, and full of thin grasses, moss, and horsehair. I gratefully took it home and kept it in a little box to study.

During the following months, I collected a few more nests and photos, and thought about ways I could paint them. However, it took me a while to come up with a solution. So I continued with my studio work until I found the right time. The right time came after I had been doing my 30-day mark-making challenge. I started to play with the elliptical shapes with the ink, which grew into a nest. However, I didn't find it particularly successful on a paper surface, and I needed to find a better one.

I have always wanted to try out claybords by Ampersand, but never had a good reason to use them until then! Claybords are panels coated in a thin layer of kaolin clay, which is white when dry. I treated myself to a set of small 5x5" panels and researched which mediums worked best on them. It seemed that most artists used ink, watercolour, gouache, graphite, and coloured pencils. Then, I researched the scratching out tools needed to make marks into the clay. I had one scratchy tool, and if my experiments went well, I would get a proper set.

I approached with the mindset of 'keeping it loose'. I relaxed my shoulders and began to make lines and ellipses to indicate a general nest shape on the claybord with a neutral shade of Indian ink. I spritzed it with water and watched it spread into interesting shapes. Once dried, I added Japanese watercolour with a mop brush to give an ethereal effect. I worked in layers, letting each one dry before I worked on the next. I scratched out lines in sweeping gestures.

I found that the watercolour gave a nice transparent background, but also sat on top of the inks nicely to create a misty mask when describing the areas that contained feathers or horsehair. The first few panels were a success, so I treated myself to a scratching out tool set.

As I continued to experiment, I used metallic inks, mica flakes and some metal leaf. I was really enjoying myself, and I was so pleased with them that I had four of them framed in white wooden tray frames and exhibited them at a gallery in Essex. They were very well received throughout the time they were there.

I also painted the chaffinch nest!

So Why Paint Nests Now?

I am a strong believer in there being a time and place for everything. I wasn't ready to tackle this difficult subject until I had done the 30-day challenge. But there is more to it. I have featured nests in previous works like a tiny nest in a tree or a textured nest in a bird painting. But solo nests have to have impact to be successful as a piece of work. All the subjects I paint are related - trees feature in landscapes, birds live in trees, and nests are where birds are born and raised. Also, being in town even now, there are plenty of birds that visit, nest, and live in and around our gardens. Our garden is full of trees and is surrounded by other quiet gardens that back onto other gardens. It is the perfect environment for our UK garden birds, and they thrive. We have resident wrens, robins, blue tits, great tits, blackbirds, magpies, pigeons, swifts in the summer, and we even have visiting jays and tawny owls. Buzzards fly overhead sometimes, and I've even spotted a blue heron as it has flown up from a nearby park.

The nests I find in the garden are mainly robin and blackbird nests. We find these in the autumn is when we cut back foliage ready for winter. The great tits nest up in the roof, so we don't see those, and the wrens are so secretive I have never found a nest.

Nests represent something beautiful and precious. They are the reminder of a successful spring and summer for the resident birds. The nests were places to be born in and grow in, as they offered protection and comfort. I am in awe of their construction and how each species makes theirs in their own way, building them for the specific needs of their eggs and young.

The nests remind me of the circle of life and the continual change in our lives. For these beautiful birds, their lives are short, hard work, and influenced by the seasons and the environment. It reminds me that the year is a cycle for all of us, and each moment is to be used wisely and treasured. As things change over time, we adapt, grow, and fledge. There is much to strive for, and there is much to be thankful for.

When we observe wild nature, we remember our own journey and our own growth and transformation. It is a wonderful invitation to watch and wonder.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this month's blog. As always, feel free to leave your comment below.

See you soon!

Debs x