Parrot Blogger - Ria Winters

Portrait of Spix’s Macaw

by Ria Winters

Introduction: first blog of an artist

This is my first blog and I’m glad to be here (thanks WPT for inviting me as a blogger). I’m an artist and specialized in painting parrots. In my blogs I will try to give an artist’s point of view on parrots, how they inspire me and how I paint them.
I will upload a blog every three or four weeks, highlighting a different painting every time.
From an early age I have drawn and painted; my subjects were always about nature. I’m mainly self thought but I have received private training that has enhanced my techniques. I have traveled a lot (Kenya, South Africa, Spitsbergen, Mexico, U.S.A., Egypt, Ireland); future travels will also appear on this blog. I have yet to make a study trip to observe parrots in the wild; the first opportunity to do this is in May 2009 when I will travel to Mauritius to observe the Echo Parakeet for a special project. But more about that later.

This first blog is about the Spix’s macaw. I have always been intrigued by species that are rare or even extinct. It is like giving them a new life when putting their feathers and eyes on a painting. I also hope that paintings like these will attract people’s attention and raise awareness for the fragility and importance of nature.

I have never seen a Spix’s macaw in reality but I have gathered reference material from photographs of friends who have seen them in Tenerife and from television and books.
What I find striking about this bird are the different hues of blue and the difference in appearance between the adults and the juveniles. The inspiration lies in rendering the blue as well as possible and making a unique portrait of this special parrot species.