Stroll and Sketch at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Potteric Carr Nature Reserve.

The Springwatch Festival at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Potteric Carr  Nature Reserve, taking place on 30th and 31st May, promises to be a fascinating weekend with many events for a range of interests in the natural world. As part of the festival, as resident volunteer artist, I am leading a 'Stroll and Sketch' group around the Reserve, starting at 10.30 am at Sedum House and finishing at 12.30 at the Kingfisher Tearooms.

My plan is to visit the various parts of the reserve that have become favourites of mine and which I have painted or plan to paint in the near future. I will show you what it is that draws me to the views and we will do rough sketches of them.
If you would like to join me you will need a drawing pad with a hard back around 10x8 inches, a 4B pencil and pencil sharpener/ or a black biro ( with plenty of ink in )

Booking is essential at

http://www.ywt.org.uk/events/2015/05/30/springwatch-festival-stroll-and-sketch?instance=0

Sheila Bury, 

Volunteer Artist in Residence and Fundraiser at YWT Potteric Carr NR, Doncaster.

Birds Bees and Butterflies.

' Garden Pots With a View'

 One of the paintings for sale on my display in the Kingfisher Tearooms at YWT Potteric Carr NR, Doncaster. 

Painted on board and over the frame in acrylics, size 22"x28" Ready to hang. Price £325.

 'Geese by Cottage Drain Hide'

This painting is also in the same  display at Kingfisher Tearooms.

Painted in acrylic on stretch canvas size 18"x24"  Unframed, ready to hang. Price £225

                                  

My display- 'Birds, Bees and Butterflies'

Kingfisher Tearooms at Potteric Carr, a lovely place to stop for light refreshment or a meal, right in the center of the reserve......  Cream teas and hot chocolate are absolutely scrumptious....

Persons wishing to purchase any of my work, can pay,  either cash or card,  at the till in the tearooms.

  

Sheila Bury, 

Volunteer Artist in Residence and Fundraiser at YWT Potteric Carr NR, Doncaster.

                                            

New painting on display in Reception at Potteric Carr YWT Nature Reserve.

 "Canada Geese on Decoy Lake"

Just one of the many families of wild birds on the Reserve at this time of year.

 

This painting is on display in reception at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve, it is painted on a 4cm deep box canvas measuring 20"x30", the sides, top and bottom are also painted so it would not require a frame, it is ready to hang. Price £345.

     

Paintings on display and for sale at Potteric Carr YWT Nature Reserve. Doncaster.

'Wildlife on Mother Drain'

A painting of the various wildlife that I have seen in this location 

This painting is on display in reception at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve. it is painted on a 4cm deep box canvas measuring 90x60cm, the sides, top and bottom are also painted so it would not require a frame, it is ready to hang. Price £395.

'Birds, Bees and Butterflies'

This collection of paintings is on display in the Kingfisher Tearooms at Potteric Carr, all are for sale and can be paid for by cash or card at the till in the tearooms.

Potteric Carr is a beautiful place to visit at any time of year and I find lots of interesting subjects to paint. I also accept commissions so should you want any particular subject painting for yourself or a special gift you could leave a note at the reception and I will contact you.

New Stand for my Paintings in the Kingfisher Tearooms at Potteric Carr YWT Nature Reserve.

The Kingfisher Tearooms at Potteric Carr

New Stand for my work in the Kingfisher Tearooms at Potteric Carr. YWT Nature Reserve.

 

The first display of my work  in the Kingfisher Tearooms at Potteric Carr YWT Nature Reserve.  My paintings are now hanging and for sale on a large stand by the window, this is great as I can add too, and change the display to reflect the seasons and interesting changes on the reserve at any time. I changed this first display at the beginning of March.

 

The present display is about Spurn Point, which is also a Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve,  and the Humber Estuary, and includes paintings on driftwood. 

Persons wishing to purchase any of my work, can pay,  either cash or card,  at the till in the Kingfisher Tearooms.
 

I will be changing my display for Easter for paintings of  Bees, Birds and Butterflies.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you will be encouraged to visit Potteric Carr, a beautiful nature reserve at any time of year. .....Sheila M Bury

Christmas Exhibition at Potteric Carr Nature Reserve.

When I first heard about the Eels in Schools Project last year I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to get involved by raising money to help fund the release of young elvers in Potteric Carr Nature Reserve.

There are enough suitable reed beds to hold nesting Bitterns and by releasing eels into the wetlands both fish and Bitterns would benefit from the reintroduction.

I decided I could raise funds by donating some of my paintings to be raffled and YWT agreed it was a good idea.The Four Seasons Raffle comprises four large paintings, one for each season of

the year, each one to be raffled separately in the appropriate season throughout 2014. 

  

Huxter Well Marsh Autumn

This is the fourth and final painting, tickets will be available in Reception at Potteric Carr  and also 

online, see :-  http://www.ywt.org.uk/shop/product/four-seasons-raffle-draw-4...... 

up until the end of the exhibition when the winning ticket will be drawn.

 Sheila Bury, Volunteer Artist in Residence/Fundraiser. Potteric Carr Nature Reserve.

The winning ticket number for this fourth of the Four Seasons Raffles was drawn at the end of the exhibition on 14th December 2014.  The winning ticket number is.... 1789...

A big thank you to everyone who bought tickets .

Sheila Bury

My Paintings in YWT Potteric Carr Shop,

If you are thinking of visiting the beautiful Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve, Potteric Carr in Doncaster, be sure to have a look at my paintings on display and for sale in the shop as you walk through onto the reserve.  Cash or card can be taken at the till in reception.

These six small butterfly paintings are each framed in plain wood  and hanging behind  the Deer painting in the photograph above. 

ALSO 

This painting hangs behind the desk in reception and is the fourth Four Seasons Raffle painting.  

"Autumn Palett, Huxter Well Marsh"
acrylic on box canvas, 100cmx50cm.

The Four Seasons Raffle comprises four large paintings which I donated to raise money to help fund the release of Eels at Potteric Carr. One painting for each season, Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. Each one is being raffled separately throughout 2014 in that order.

By September this year we had raised £1600 with the first three paintings “A Potteric Winter, Highland Cattle in St Catherine’s Field” - “Piper Marsh Spring” and “Peacock Butterflies at Brockadale”, The fourth and final painting “Autumn Palette at Huxter Well Marsh” is now on display in reception at Sedum House and tickets are available at the desk. The winning ticket for this will be drawn on December 14th at Potteric Carr. We would like to raise a grand total of £2000, so fingers crossed, it would be wonderful to make our target..............
Can I hear the Bitterns booming in anticipation.?

more info here 

http://www.ywt.org.uk/shop/product/four-seasons-raffle-draw-4

New Exhibition at Yorkshire Waterways Museum, Goole

These paintings are some of the scenes of waterways and wildlife that have fired my imagination over the years.

The Yorkshire Waterways Museum is a fascinating place by the Dutch River Side in Goole, it celebrates our waterways history and heritage, and has a towpath nature trail. Boat trips are run on weekends and holidays and there are special events throughout the year. It is free to enter, with galleries, cafe, gift shop.

My exhibition is on the barge “Room 58 Gallery", an old grain barge that used to belong to Rank Hovis McDougal which has been converted into a beautiful floating gallery and is moored up beside the museum buildings. 

So...come down to Goole to the Yorkshire Waterways Museum.....there is lots to see and do, and visit my exhibition and see what you think to my paintings.......you might even decide to buy one for Christmas........  

Everybody is welcome, entry is free and free parking.

Eels For Schools and the Four Seasons Raffle.

When I first heard about the Eels in Schools Project last year I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to get involved by raising money to help fund the release of young elvers in Potteric Carr Nature Reserve.

There are enough suitable reed beds to hold nesting bitterns and by releasing eels into the wetlands both fish and Bitterns would benefit from the reintroduction.

I decided I could raise funds by donating some of my paintings to be raffled and YWT agreed it was a good idea.

The Four Seasons Raffle comprises four large paintings, one for each season of the year, each one to be raffled separately in the appropriate season throughout 2014. 

The tickets at £1 each or a book of 5 for £5 went on sale at Potteric Carr  in winter 2013. 

The first two paintings  “A Potteric Winter, Highland Cattle in St Catherine’s Field” drawn on New Years Day, and the second  painting “Piper Marsh Spring” drawn on Easter Monday, raised more than £1200.

The raffle for the third painting “Peacock Butterflies -  Brockadale” will be drawn on August Bank Holiday Monday and tickets are still available from the nature  reserve. The final painting, portraying autumn colours at Potteric Carr is yet to be started, but will be raffled this December.

Last Tuesday 24th June, the  elvers were driven up to Potteric from the Severn and Wye Smokery and children from local schools put them in the water at Potteric Carr and Sprotbrough Flash nature reserves. see,

http://www.ywt.org.uk/news/2014/06/23/primary-school-students-release-eels-local-doncaster-nature-reserves

I had the wonderful privilege of also putting some into the water on Hawthorn Field at 

                                                                              Potteric Carr.

A second delivery today and more elvers were put into  Decoy Marsh this morning.  Fantastic.

Have to say it is a very, very satisfying to see and be part of this, and fingers crossed the next two paintings will raise more funds for more Eels for Potteric Carr Nature Reserve and the Bitterns.

Sheila Bury, Volunteer Artist in Residence/Fundraiser. Potteric Carr Nature Reserve.

YWT Commissioned Work

  

Humberhead Levels, Summertime.

acrylic on box canvas 60x90cm

This was a recent commission to paint an Interpretation Panel for YWT 'Connect Project' ...... which is all about getting people involved in their local green spaces in the Humberhead Levels Nature Improvement Area.

 The work had to be a clear depiction of the unique wetland landscape of the area,  peat bogs, birch woodland, grassland, tidal reedbeds, and include images of local wildlife and people 'doing things' 

For more information about this most interesting project see:-  http://www.ywt.org.uk/connect  

This map gives some idea of the area covered.

Piper Marsh a Work in Progress

I have been a regular visitor at Potteric Carr since the beginning of this year, the views are varied and interesting, everything seem to be on 'speed' it all grows so fast, colours change almost overnight - although it helps if the sun is lighting up the landscape -  and the wildlife is simply stunning. I have painted some of it, and it has been a delight, my plan is to paint a lot more of it.  

View from Piper Marsh Hide -  a work in progress.

I started this painting of the view from Piper Marsh Hide way back in March, and as sometimes happens, I have so far been unable to finish it. Fairly small at around 19"x12"  I have realised that it need to be much bigger, so it is still a 'work in progress' !!!

The problem is what season to paint?  I loved the ochres and creamy browns of the reeds when I first saw them in March, and the various colours of the silver birch against a blue sky. and the wildflowers on the marshy islands in later months are also very beautiful.

 I have taken many photographs of wildlife I have seen from the hide. In April there were a number of families of Canada geese, they were very protective of their young.

In May I saw Kingfishers many times fishing from a branch by an island to the right of the hide.

On one occasion I counted nine herons !!

In July I took quite a few photos of grass snake on a pile of cut reeds on the bank to the right of the hide.

...and swans in the reeds and wild flowers on the island a few metres in front of the hide.

So in essence I don't really have any problem painting the view from Piper Marsh Hide, I just have to get on with it !!!!!