Two turtle doves
Nov 1, 2012 Jane Tomlinson about art, natural world 1 65 Views
“On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, Two turtle doves…”
I stumbled across some photos of turtle doves and was immediately reminded of their gorgeous plumage and lovely colours. And thought – I’d like to paint that!
In recent years the numbers of turtle doves in Europe have fallen by more than 60%. Habitat loss, changes in farming practices and shooting these pretty birds for so-called ‘sport’ are blamed for their decline. I’ve never actually seen one in the UK and I’m pretty observant when it comes to our feathered friends.
It’s a bit weird that the turtle dove should appear in an English folk song ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas‘, because the turtle dove isn’t actually here in the UK in the winter. It migrates south… and faces Spanish bullets.
acrylic on canvas – 40cm x 40cm – £175
Elaine A. Barker
Posted on Monday 26th November, 2012, 9:32pm
I love the Turtle Doves. I am having a chamber event here on Tuesday, December 3rd and my theme for the 2nd night of the event is Two Turtle Doves. I looked at many prints but LOVE yours – the colors, detail, etc. are just so elegant. However I doubt if I could purchase a print here in the USA and very quickly. If not just wanted to let you know how impressed I am with your work.