Birds https://www.giedebarnes.com Tue, 11 Feb 2025 15:41:03 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.giedebarnes.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cropped-PFB90849-scaled-1-32x32.jpg Birds https://www.giedebarnes.com 32 32 Wise Old Bird https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/wise-old-bird/ Mon, 18 Nov 2024 12:24:20 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=5049 Driftwood, steel rod, feathers and oak "Wise Old Bird" (Raven) started out as an idea as soon as I found the driftwood shape of the body and I immediately started to collect black feathers.  "All" that needed to be done was adding eyes, shaping the beak and adding two wings.  I was determined to find and use the best matching pieces for the wings and ended up only using three pieces of wood for the bird.  They had to be just the right size and just the right angle to give the bird life.  Once the wings were fixed I had to find a way to support the body in the right angle to get the bird to engage with the viewer.  Again the angle was most important and took a long time to find.  My husband helped me bend the metal supports to mimic the legs. I used toothpicks and bluetack to guide me to the right angle when drilling the base.  The claws were made from the rusty corners of lobster cages found on the beach.  The feathers were then added to the size of the tail and the wings.  Two old oak book ends which I found in a skip in Oxford thirty years ago when working in the Modern Languages Faculty Library became the base.  Leather dye gives the Wise Old Bird its black colour in order to not obscure the surface texture of the drift wood.

April 2024

Approximate dimensions (cm) H50 W57 D29

… Continue readingWise Old Bird]]> Driftwood, steel rod, feathers and oak "Wise Old Bird" (Raven) started out as an idea as soon as I found the driftwood shape of the body and I immediately started to collect black feathers.  "All" that needed to be done was adding eyes, shaping the beak and adding two wings.  I was determined to find and use the best matching pieces for the wings and ended up only using three pieces of wood for the bird.  They had to be just the right size and just the right angle to give the bird life.  Once the wings were fixed I had to find a way to support the body in the right angle to get the bird to engage with the viewer.  Again the angle was most important and took a long time to find.  My husband helped me bend the metal supports to mimic the legs. I used toothpicks and bluetack to guide me to the right angle when drilling the base.  The claws were made from the rusty corners of lobster cages found on the beach.  The feathers were then added to the size of the tail and the wings.  Two old oak book ends which I found in a skip in Oxford thirty years ago when working in the Modern Languages Faculty Library became the base.  Leather dye gives the Wise Old Bird its black colour in order to not obscure the surface texture of the drift wood.

April 2024

Approximate dimensions (cm) H50 W57 D29

… Continue readingWise Old Bird]]> No Spring Chicken https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/no-spring-chicken/ Mon, 18 Nov 2024 12:19:13 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=5047 I found two pieces of gnarled heather and wood in Scotland and they made me think of a "funny old bird".  I didn’t have to cut anything away and added feathers and a semi precious egg shaped stone in the top of the body.  The bird is rotating on its natural plinth and will move around in the wind. March 2024 Approximate dimensions (cm) H27.5 W25 D12 [video width="720" height="720" mp4="https://www.giedebarnes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/114-No-Spring-Chicken-w.mp4"][/video] … Continue readingNo Spring Chicken]]> I found two pieces of gnarled heather and wood in Scotland and they made me think of a "funny old bird".  I didn’t have to cut anything away and added feathers and a semi precious egg shaped stone in the top of the body.  The bird is rotating on its natural plinth and will move around in the wind. March 2024 Approximate dimensions (cm) H27.5 W25 D12 [video width="720" height="720" mp4="https://www.giedebarnes.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/114-No-Spring-Chicken-w.mp4"][/video] … Continue readingNo Spring Chicken]]> Dancer https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/dancer/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 15:53:19 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=4449 Dancer was the result of the inspirational body shape and the fitting of the twisted neck of the bird.  Finding equally animated wing shapes in corresponding sizes was a hard task and the reward for years of collecting wooden pieces.  It took all my patience and concentration to find and fit the wooden legs in order to achieve the animated outcome I had envisaged to let the bird dance. For added stability Dancer is resting on a recycled wooden board of hardwood. Spring 2023 Approximate dimensions (cm) H92 W42 D49   … Continue readingDancer]]> Dancer was the result of the inspirational body shape and the fitting of the twisted neck of the bird.  Finding equally animated wing shapes in corresponding sizes was a hard task and the reward for years of collecting wooden pieces.  It took all my patience and concentration to find and fit the wooden legs in order to achieve the animated outcome I had envisaged to let the bird dance. For added stability Dancer is resting on a recycled wooden board of hardwood. Spring 2023 Approximate dimensions (cm) H92 W42 D49   … Continue readingDancer]]> Looking UpSOLD https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/looking-up/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 15:50:40 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=4444 Looking Up developed from the expressive head and body shape and was the first big bird I made for Open Studios 2022.  Finding the right legs proved a difficult task and it took a long time to balance the body in the right angle.  Fortunately the base was helping to stabilise the bird on its fragile legs.  Actually this base was a piece of wood I rescued from my parents house and sample my parents received when they built their home in the '70s. After living with looking up for a while it became clear to me that the organic shapes of the bird needed a grounding in the base as well. Thus Looking Up developed into a bird wading now happily in a pond of water lilies and reeds. 2020 - 2023 Approximate dimensions (cm) H98 W36 D57 £ SOLD … Continue readingLooking Up

SOLD

]]> Looking Up developed from the expressive head and body shape and was the first big bird I made for Open Studios 2022.  Finding the right legs proved a difficult task and it took a long time to balance the body in the right angle.  Fortunately the base was helping to stabilise the bird on its fragile legs.  Actually this base was a piece of wood I rescued from my parents house and sample my parents received when they built their home in the '70s. After living with looking up for a while it became clear to me that the organic shapes of the bird needed a grounding in the base as well. Thus Looking Up developed into a bird wading now happily in a pond of water lilies and reeds. 2020 - 2023 Approximate dimensions (cm) H98 W36 D57 £ SOLD … Continue readingLooking Up

SOLD

]]> Mini Murmuration SOLD https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/mini-murmuration/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 15:48:19 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=4437 As soon as I saw this tangle of roots it reminded me of a murmuration I had witnessed in Wales.  The two birds revealed themselves in the process of handling and it was a miracle to find the matching wing shapes in my collection of driftwood. The stone from the west coast of Scotland gives it stability and allows the eyes to rest a little at the base of the sculpture. February 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H41 W45 D38 £ SOLD … Continue readingMini Murmuration

SOLD

]]> As soon as I saw this tangle of roots it reminded me of a murmuration I had witnessed in Wales.  The two birds revealed themselves in the process of handling and it was a miracle to find the matching wing shapes in my collection of driftwood. The stone from the west coast of Scotland gives it stability and allows the eyes to rest a little at the base of the sculpture. February 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H41 W45 D38 £ SOLD … Continue readingMini Murmuration

SOLD

]]> Coot SOLD https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/coot/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:54:19 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=4425 Coot was one of the first birds I produced for Open Studios 2022.  It is a happy bird and chirping away with its cheeky beak and dancing along the waters edge. January 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H25 W22 D17 £ SOLD   … Continue readingCoot

SOLD

]]> Coot was one of the first birds I produced for Open Studios 2022.  It is a happy bird and chirping away with its cheeky beak and dancing along the waters edge. January 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H25 W22 D17 £ SOLD   … Continue readingCoot

SOLD

]]> Looking West https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/looking-west/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:51:00 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=4410 Looking West is one of the most minimalistic sculptures I ever made, consisting only of a piece of wood I reshaped very slightly and a piece of cork oak which I found on the beach on our trip to Andalucia.  It is one of the triumphs of nature and I am grateful it allowed me to convey its beauty. March 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H36 W16 D9   … Continue readingLooking West]]> Looking West is one of the most minimalistic sculptures I ever made, consisting only of a piece of wood I reshaped very slightly and a piece of cork oak which I found on the beach on our trip to Andalucia.  It is one of the triumphs of nature and I am grateful it allowed me to convey its beauty. March 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H36 W16 D9   … Continue readingLooking West]]> Weathervane https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/weathervane/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:49:23 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=4404 Weathervane is a symbiosis of two driftwood pieces found at very different times in Scotland.  The body was found on a family holiday at Reiff by my husband and the head piece by me in my large wood collection many years later.  They both fitted so beautifully together that I wanted to highlight that they were made for each other.  Four thin steel pins align them and a rusty nail allows the bird to move on the egg-shaped base. 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H44 W32 D11   … Continue readingWeathervane]]> Weathervane is a symbiosis of two driftwood pieces found at very different times in Scotland.  The body was found on a family holiday at Reiff by my husband and the head piece by me in my large wood collection many years later.  They both fitted so beautifully together that I wanted to highlight that they were made for each other.  Four thin steel pins align them and a rusty nail allows the bird to move on the egg-shaped base. 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H44 W32 D11   … Continue readingWeathervane]]> Hippie Chick SOLD https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/hippie-chick/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:47:56 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=4396 Hippie Chick is part of the group of birds developed for Open Studios 2022.  It developed through its head shape with the cheeky beak.  All driftwood pieces fitted beautifully together and the gift of chicken feathers from a friend was the perfect addition for this character bird.  It is balancing on a slate platform which is suggestive of a water surface. March 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H24 W24 D18   … Continue readingHippie Chick

SOLD

]]> Hippie Chick is part of the group of birds developed for Open Studios 2022.  It developed through its head shape with the cheeky beak.  All driftwood pieces fitted beautifully together and the gift of chicken feathers from a friend was the perfect addition for this character bird.  It is balancing on a slate platform which is suggestive of a water surface. March 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H24 W24 D18   … Continue readingHippie Chick

SOLD

]]> Happy Little Duck https://www.giedebarnes.com/product/happy-little-duck/ Wed, 29 Jun 2022 14:44:27 +0000 https://www.giedebarnes.com/?post_type=product&p=4385 Happy Little Duck is part of the group created for Open Studios 2022.  It started with me finding the head shape which determined the size of the body and the position of it Pershing happily on a wooden 'rock'.  It is balanced by a piece of slate. Spring 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H18 W12 D8   … Continue readingHappy Little Duck]]> Happy Little Duck is part of the group created for Open Studios 2022.  It started with me finding the head shape which determined the size of the body and the position of it Pershing happily on a wooden 'rock'.  It is balanced by a piece of slate. Spring 2022 Approximate dimensions (cm) H18 W12 D8   … Continue readingHappy Little Duck]]>