New Merchandise Available

I am very excited to announce the launch of a collection of products featuring my artwork. In case you are looking for gifts, mugs, blankets, pillows, prints, bags and cases, you can find a wide collection at https://auswildlifeart.com/collections/matteo-grilli

Ringed Xenica Butterfly, a book and framed works at Coastal Artisans

 Ringed Xenica Geitoneura acantha, walnut ink and handmade watercolours on Fabriano paper, 15 x 15 cm, © Matteo Grilli

 American-Australian writer Geraldine M. North recently published her book Butcher Bird, a collection of short stories from rural Australia. The book is a pleasure to read and features some illustrations of mine. It is available on Amazon 

At Coastal Artisans in Peregian Beach, there are some newly framed works and some Giclee prints of mine among the stunning showcase of other artists and artisans:

Here is a photo of the beautiful beach at Peregian:

Pacific Black Duck, Avian Faces Series and Handmade Watercolour Paints.

Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa, watercolour on paper, 27.5 x 35 cm,  © Matteo Grilli 2015

Here is the full series of original bird portraits from the Avian Faces Series 2012, three birds, the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, the Boobook Owl and the Bush-stone Curlew for a total of twelve small watercolour portraits, all artworks are now available.

And this is my handmade full watercolour range, this is a beautiful, versatile and minimal watercolour palette with five earth colours out of eight.

Little Corella on Jacaranda

Little Corella on Jacaranda, watercolour on paper, 30 x 37 cm, © Matteo Grilli

New Book Release: Watercolour Explorations on Australian Wildlife Vol.1

I am very happy to announce the recent release of my self-published book Watercolour Explorations on Australian Wildlife Vol.1, 90 pages, 7 × 7 in / 18 × 18 cm, available in soft cover, hard cover with dust jacket or hard cover image wrap and as an eBook.

  'After witnessing the beauty of Nature, often rises a compelling need to capture its fleeting essence to make it visible once again, to linger on that beauty, giving it that little bit more permanence allowed by art. My ultimate goal was to draw the attention to that beauty and to share it. Watercolour explorations on Australian Wildlife is a tribute to nature. It is also a collection of watercolours and drawings completed between 2010 and 2013 in and around Brisbane, Australia.'

 Watercolour Explorations on Australian Wildlife Vol.1 would make a perfect gift for anyone interested in Australian wildlife and nature, birds, natural history, watercolour art, birdwatching or travel, for grown ups and children alike. By clicking on the link above you will be able to see a preview of the book. Feel free to share it with your contacts. 

Thank you. 

MG

Matteo Grilli Wildlife Art Christmas Ideas

I've been rather busy lately stocking up my online store for the upcoming season, which is always exciting as it is a chance to look back into what I've been working on for the last few years and find a new way to look at my creative endavours. For instance, there was a big painting, a composition of many feathers of different Australian bird species that I was not sure what to make out of it, so I decided to cut out every feather with tiny sissors and mount them on a hard paper board and here we go! A new collection of bookmarks. The same with a few more feathers and a couple of Eucalyptus leaves from a painting that has never been finished.

I also decided to take some more paintings to be professionally scanned and released as open edition archival Giclee reproductions. It was the right time to get this Pale-headed Rosella out there, a bird and a painting I'm very fond of. This bird used to come and visit the big tree in our backyard and this is one of my earliest study of Australian birds. It is now available as small, medium-size and large print.

Probably not so colorful as a parrot, but certainly not less intersting or charming, the Bush-stone Curlews of the first painting of the Avian Faces Series could not be missing from this selection. The four faces of this awesome bird are also available as small, medium-size and large prints.

For those who love the colours of australian cockatoos, here we have the Galahs feeding on the ground after a storm. This painting is also available as small, medium-size and large print.

My last choice was for the Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, who after a feed on our veranda, decided to observe and study myself sitting on the chair in front of him, revealing his curious and inquisitive nature, as well as the other paintings this is also available as small, medium-size and large print.

Each print is individually signed and dated. For more informations regarding sizes and shipping, please follow the links provided.

My work is not over, I'm now organizing for getting greeting cards printed and I hope to be able to release them very soon.

I'm open to suggestions and feedback and I would love to hear from you, 

until next time,

all the best,

M

Avian Faces - Sulphur-crested Cockatoos

Avian Faces Series available here.

Sulphur-crested Cockatoos are full of personality, it doesn't take long to recognize their cognitive skills (likened to those of a four-year-old child) when they observe with an inquisitive look upon what goes on around the feeder. When relaxed, the crest is at rest, and the feathers around the beak all fluffed up, when excited or alerted, the crest is erected and the head is moved with sudden, jerky movements which shows off the bright yellow, curled feathers.

The crest is actually a means of communication. Cockatoos are certainly renowned for imitating human words and this is due to the fact that they are very social creatures, in the wild they have long lasting relationships and to increase their bond the pair develops a 'common language' based on sounds mimicked from each other. As this is not possible in captivity for a single cocky, well, human words or other sounds are used as surrogates.

Their flight in the bright blue sky and the distant (or not so distant) echo of their screeches are a common and typical sight even around the city suburbs and parks. But perhaps, the most beautiful thing is to see them up close, in the late afternoon light which makes everything appear rather magical, with its golden warmth wrapping everything and underlining every movement brought by the wind that moves the branches and the golden-green leaves of the Jacaranda tree. A white cockatoo arriving in flight and landing gracefully on a branch, pervaded by that light is the most majestic of sights.  

-Cacatua galerita-

Brisbane Veranda

Queensland houses or 'Queenslander' have some architectural features which are just perfect for birdwatching: timber stumps that lift the building to provide ventilation during the hot summer months (let alone relative safety from floods) also provide for a high point of view to observe the surroundings from the front verandas and if trees are close enough you may have the impression of living right up in the tree canopy. Birds feel more comfortable to come and perch or feed on the wide verandas, giving excellent observation opportunities. These are some Sulphur-crested Cockatoo that usually come to our place.

Galahs

In Australian English (for non-Australian readers), a person may be called 'galah' when acting silly, probably because these birds, intelligent and curious, love playing and can be seen hanging upside down and pirouetting, all behaviours that may be perceived a bit eccentric to human eyes. Galahs - Eolophus roseicapilla

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo

This amazing bird is available in my shop in an array of different artworks

According to the Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds, Australia is home for 54 species of parrots. I was camping for the National Folk Festival in Canberra and early in the morning we were awakened by the loud raucous screeches of a large flock of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, an Australian icon. In the morning sun I could see their shadows passing over the tent. I was astonished.

I have also found a way to make this blog carbon neutral, I recommend it to all of you who run a blog or website, find out how at http://www.kaufda.de/umwelt/carbon-neutral/how-you-can-join/
Until next time..          Matteo