Lesley Smitheringale Fine Art

Free Animal Wallpapers to Download

The National Geographic Site of which I am a huge fan allows photographers to submit photographs to “Your Shot” where 12 photos are chosen each day and displayed in the “Daily Dozen”. Two photographs are then chosen each month from the “Daily Dozen” to be published in the National Geographic Magazine so it is excellent exposure for photographers if you are lucky enough to be selected. They also offer all of the selected “Your Shot” photos to be downloaded as wallpapers and these are a selection from the animals category - quite stunning and all free.

Lizard by Mick Dees and Flamingo by Stuart Chang

Fawns by Thomas Tolla and Tiger by Bobby McLeod

Ostrich by Claire Bradford and Mallard Ducks by Lisa Jansen

In Loving Memory of a True Bushman

It was my half day at work and such a beautiful autumn afternoon which made me want to be outdoors so I took myself off to local bushland which I had wanted to investigate for a while. About a ten minute drive from my house, this pocket of nature is called Venman Bushland National Park. The history is a heart-warming story of how one man, John (Jack) Burnett Venman, made a great contribution to the conservation of 255 acres of bushland within the Redlands Shire.

It was Jack’s dream to conserve Venman Bushland National Park for visitors to enjoy the tranquility of the bush which he eventually succeeded in doing but not without a struggle. After attending Brisbane Boys Grammar School on a scholarship, Jack became a qualified fitter and turner but spent a lot of time working in cattle stations which became his true passion and enabled him to get to know the bush and witness the results of over-burning or not burning and ring barking and so on. He realised that a lot of this land was being ruined which gave him a different appreciation of the country.

Jack had property at Mt Cotton but the area was logged in the early 1900’s and he was determined to see the land returned to its natural state. After selling this land to the Albert Shire Council for one dollar in order to make the land secure from any future development it had to become an environmental reserve that they could never cut up.

Jack put a great deal of work into the property to make it a parkland that people could visit and enjoy. He created walking tracks which also acted as firebreaks and dammed a small section of Tingalpa creek so that during the dry season, there was still a fresh water supply for animals. He constructed wood-fired stone barbecues and built wooden chairs and tables where people could relax. The council also provided two septic toilets as visitation increased.

Jack Venman dedicated 40 years of his life to building a dream. There was much controversy over the naming of the park, and it wasn’t until after his death at the age of 83 that the park became Venman Bushland National Park. Today, the park is managed by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

The ridges of open eucalypt forest, patches of lowland rainforest and paperbark-lined Tingalpa Creek provide ideal habitats for a large diversity of wildlife. Be enchanted by the playful tunes of birds, inquisitive wallabies or even spot a lazy koala nestled amongst the tree tops.

References

Ashman, Kirsten 1998, A Tribute to Jack Venman in honour of a True Bushman, Bernborough Press, Oakey, Queesland.

Griffith University, Institute of Applied Environmental Research 1992, ‘Venman Bushland Reserve: an Historical Outline’, unpublished manuscript, Griffith University, Brisbane.

Walding, Richard 1992, ‘A True Tale From the Bush, Jack Venman’s Story as told to Richard Walding’, unpublished manuscript, Brisbane.

This bushland really is quite a special place and not long after I started my trek I came across Jack’s tombstone.

There are several tracks which you can choose to walk along and the walking is easy going and mostly flat. What struck me immediately was that all I could hear was the myriad of bird songs coming from the tree tops and the humming and buzzing of insects around me. Instant calm and I was dwarfed by huge Eucalyptus trees while I crunched along winding tracks, nestled among ferny glades with the occasional glimpse of watering holes.

I kept hearing and seeing tiny little birds above me in the tree tops but could not get close to them and they were so fast. They darted from branch to branch above me and occasionally would hover infront of the tree trunks waving their fan-like tails.

They are grey fantails and these were the best photographs I could get

While I was engrossed in trying to get a reasonable shot of these tiny birds, I heard a noise behind me and got a bit of a fright as a wallaby started bounding through the trees and long grass next to me. When he spotted me, he stood still and stared at me for a few minutes before jumping off again. It doesn’t get any better than this and it was a rewarding sight.

The variety of trees is amazing and I was fascinated with the texture of the bark on many of them including the scribbly gums (Eucalyptus racemosa)

Larvae of the wood-boring moth cause scribbly lines and they make for some fantastic abstracts

Some other interesting tree bark textures and patterns

There were lots of pairs of butterflies around as well and they were darting all over the place, one following the other then occasionally resting for a moment or two. I watched this pair for a while before moving on. The female (I assume) remained still on the branch for ages while the male fluttered above her. Is this some kind of courtship perhaps?

I thoroughly enjoyed my walk in these bushlands and thank you John (”Jack”) Burnett Venman for creating this nature’s paradise.

Posted in Wildlife
By Lesley Smitheringale

Free Animals and Bugs Icons

I found these rather cute animals icons which are free for personal use.

l to r: bugs sigma and tiny animals vista

available to download from http://www.freeiconsdownload.com/index.html

These icons are originally from http://www.iconshock.com/web-icons.php and there are more free icons available at this site also.

Garden Guests Diary - 11 April 2008

A big and fat caterpillar but I don’t know what kind of butterfly or moth he will turn out to be and two damselflies getting very “intimate”.

Featured Artist: Timothy Martin

Timothy Martin is a classically trained fine artist. In 2000, Martin was commissioned by the venerable Steinway & Sons to paint an actual one-of-a-kind baby grand piano, the first painter in nearly 70 years commissioned by the piano makers. Following a nationwide tour, the “Summertime Piano” is now part of a private collection.

l to r: Summertime Piano, Chick Chair & Fern Rabbit Glen

Nature is so often the inspiration for design: a wingback chair creates a nest, a cabriole leg has the bend of the branch, wicker is mindful of ferns. What could be more literal than a camelback couch or a claw-footed table? I have merely reversed the interpretation process.

l to r: Dogwood & Moss, Rose Fleece Roost & Acorn Rocker

I love Timothy’s chair and couch series and what a beautiful idea he has come up with. You can view all of his artworks on his website.

Featured Artist: Jarek Kubicki

Jarek Kubicki (1976) is an artist, photographer & webdesigner. He graduated from Fine Arts High School in Gdynia followed by the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk. Jarek’s work is dark and grungy with a beautiful and sensual erotica entwined with dramatic drapery and luscious textures. He has also designed numerous websites and music CD covers. Here are some of this talented Polish artist’s works which can also be seen on his website.

Garden Guests Diary: Gustav the sick Galah [8 April 2008]

This is a sad story … We had a galah come down to feed for a few days last week who just did not look right. He pecked on the seed and often just remained quiet, by himself and rested (as in the first photograph). He flew away on the first few afternoons but then one day he chose to remain in our garden after snacking on some seed and perched himself ontop on some palm fronds next to our car port. I named him Gustav and took a few photographs of him before I had to go to work. My husband phoned the Wildlife Care Network who came to collect Gustav and take him to the local veterinary clinic - we were worried about Gustav’s welfare and we have two cats.

We later phoned the local veterinary clinic to be told that Gustav did not make it and passed away but we do not know how or why. He looked unharmed - maybe he was old but we might never know and we are going to contact the vet who took him in on Monday to perhaps find out a little bit more about this poor creature’s demise.

Best Mates, the Baby Kangaroo and the Wonder Dog that saved it

By all accounts the baby kangaroo should have not survived the road accident that claimed its mother…but then along came Rex the wonder dog. The pointer discovered the baby roo, known as a joey, alive in the mother’s pouch and took it back to his owner. “I was so surprised and delighted,” said Leonie Allan. “Rex saved the day.” The four-month-old joey’s mother was killed by a car near Ms Allan’s home in Torquay, Victoria, Australia.

“I’d taken Rex for a walk and we’d gone past the dead kangaroo that morning, and later I was working out the front and he started pointing,” Ms Allan said. “I was worried he’d found a snake and called him back, but when he returned he dropped the joey at my feet. “He obviously sensed the baby roo was still alive in the pouch and somehow had gently grabbed it by the neck, gently retrieved it and brought it to me.” Amazingly, the 10-year-old dog - a cross between a German shorthaired and wirehaired pointer - had been so tender with the joey that it was both calm and unmarked.

“The joey was snuggling up to him, jumping up to him and Rex was sniffing and licking him - it was quite cute,” Ms Allan said. The joey, to be named Rex Jr after his saviour, is now being cared for at Jirrahlinga Wildlife Sanctuary and when he is 18 months old will be released back into the wild. Director Tehree Gordon said she was amazed by the trusting bond between the two animals. “We often have humans that come in after accidentally hurting joeys when they wriggle and fall from their hands,” she said. “That Rex was so careful and knew to bring the baby to his owners, and that the joey was so relaxed and didn’t see Rex as a predator, is quite remarkable.”

She added: “It’s a lesson that dogs can be raised to be familiar and compatible with wildlife, you just have to teach them right from wrong. “It’s a credit to the owners, who have taught him to be tolerant of the kangaroos, echidnas and other animals that regularly come through their property.” Owner Leonie said Rex is not always the perfect hero: “He’s no angel, just an ordinary family dog with a bit of a naughty streak and a very gentle, passive, lovable temperament.”

Original Source: Daily Mail

Featured Artist: Anne-Julie Aubry

I’ve totally fallen for this talented French aritst’s work, not to mention her stunningly, gorgeous website.

l to r: “The Glorious Sadness” and “Dreaming of Bees”

l to r: “The Raven & the Girl” & “The Fall”

I like to say that my world is divided in two parts. I have that “cotton candy” side where I like to use soft or bright colors on cute themes. This part of me is the older one, I began my illustration studies with things intented for children. And I have this other side, a darker one, when I need to expose my adult mind and its sad depths. My inspiration comes from my childhood, from fairytales, from music and movies or Nature and dreams, but it also comes from my everyday life.

Unifying various techniques, from the pencil illustration to the collage, the painting, the digital, I’m trying to give multiple sensations, details and shades that are partly catched from my spontaneous creativity. My works are born - as it always should be - from the inspiration, the enjoyment, the will to create.

To me, this artist conveys emotions and the relationship with natures’ creatures in such a tender, beautiful and almost childlike, whimsical way to perfection. This extremely talented, young female French artist captures the essence of the “unwritten” bond animals have with humans. I simply adore this artist’s work and her website captures all of this as well - just stunning and a rare gem.

Anne-Julie Aubry’s website and blog

Enormous Spider’s Web

Don’t visit this Park if you suffer from Arachnophobia …

An enormous spider web has been found at Lake Tawakoni State Park, Texas, US.

It is not the work of one giant spider - rather, millions of small ones have been spinning away and now it is twice the size of a football field. Park rangers are not sure why the spiders have joined forces - they describe it as a rare occurrence. The web covers a 180m (590ft) stretch of trees and shrubs in the park. Although it was initially described as “fairy-tale” white, it has turned brown from all the mosquitoes caught in its trap.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6972062.stm