Fourteen Jackdaws

THE ART

Six O'clock most mornings you'll find me sitting in my garden in Ventnor overlooking the sea, a mug of black coffee in my hands. For company I have the local tribe of Jackdaws.

Like clockwork, summer and winter, shortly after six am they make their rounds: two or three always clockwise circuits cutting across my garden. They babble excitedly in their squeaky quack chatter and make me smile. I wish I spoke Jackdaw!

This picture began life as a messy watercolour with pen and ink birds, which I've then brought into photoshop and reworked. I like it and hope you do to!

 HOW WE MAKE THE PICTURE

We build everything ourselves in the gallery. The photograph is printed on the very best archival matte canvas, hand coated in a matte varnish we import from America, and then left flat to dry for a few days. This means the picture can be cleaned with a damp cloth, and the great thing about a matte finish with no glass is that you have no distracting glare or reflections. It's a much more direct experience.

Whilst the print is drying we can get on with making the stretcher frame and the tray frame that the finished canvas will drop into. The tray frame is then hand painted.

Next the canvas is stretched over the stretcher frame. After that, we carefully paint the canvas edges with several coats of the same paint used on the tray frame, so they match perfectly. Then we assemble the canvas and frame, put a hanging wire on the back, and attach a Certificate of Authenticity. Finally Neil signs the piece front and back adding the title and edition number.

We use the very best materials, and I would expect my pictures to look exactly the same in 100 years. They won't fade in our lifetime. 

BUYING OPTIONS

This picture is available as a framed stretched canvas, and comes in two sizes as detailed below. A shipping charge of £35 is added at checkout.

Large Stretched Canvas Framed in a White Tray Frame: £495

Limited Edition of 150

Framed Size 133cm by 60cm (canvas 1254cm by 52cm)

XL Stretched Canvas Framed in White Tray Frame: £750

Limited Edition of 50

Framed Size is 183cm by 80cm  (canvas size is 175cm by 72cm).

Canvases can be rolled and shipped abroad unframed. Please get in touch for a quote.

Feel free to call Neil on 07957 473693 with any more questions, or email us at neil@neilwilliams.co.uk