The success of Harriet Bane’s beautiful bird and wildlife paintings lies in the fact that she is able to convey the character of each of her subjects skillfully, yet in a style that is distinctly her own.

So much wildlife painting is, in a sense, photographic and driven by the single desire to be accurate. In consequence the paintings reflect little of the artist, other than their technical skill.

Refreshingly, in Harriet Bane’s work there is a good balance between capturing the essential qualities of the wildlife subject, painterly qualities, and the originality of approach and individual style of the artist.

Sound design is a notable feature of Harriet’s work. “I am very interested in the way that things balance in a painting,” she says. “I try to include just the right number of things, so that the painting is not overcrowded. I look for a certain balance in the composition, which I think is something that has been influenced by my early training in theatre set design. We were taught that you start with your base and then anything that is subsequently placed on the base will make a statement. I use this same discipline in my painting.

“I also worked as an illustrator and graphic designer for a time, which again I think is something that has influenced the way that I now paint. As well, there have been influences from different artists – modern day and 19th century. I particularly like the work of Mary Newcomb, for example, and Guy Taplin. And I have always been fascinated by the natural history artists of the 19th century – the work of Audubon, of course, but also that of various amateur artists who brought back drawings of plants and wildlife seen on their great sea voyages. I like the naivety of those drawings, the way things are flattened and simplified. It is that essence of the subject that I aim to capture in my own work.

Tapestry, Watercolour and acrylic on prepared board, 10x10in. (25.5x25.5cm)

Shape and colour

Harriet now lives and works in Guernsey and for her last exhibition she focused on painting some of the many interesting birds that can be found on the island.

She has painted animals in the past and hopes to do so again, but at the moment her main interest is British garden birds. Many of these are at risk, and this concerns her.

Also, by painting sparrows and other well-known birds that are so often taken for granted, she is able to show just how interesting – in terms of their shape, markings and colour – they are.

“There are two main things about the choice of subject,” Harriet says. “Birds are such wonderful shapes, and usually it is the shape that initially attracts me to a certain bird. Then it is the colour, the patterns of the feathers, and the markings on the plumage. There may be scope to treat the patterns in a graphic or stylized way, as in my painting, Tapestry, above.

"I often slightly distort the shape, which can add to the impact of the image. And for colour, I love browns, earth colours and blues. I seem automatically drawn towards little brown birds!”

Harriet occasionally makes sketches on site, but generally she works from photographic reference. She always carries a camera with her around the island and she likes to observe different birds in their particular environment. “However, I am definitely not a twitcher,” she says. “I don’t carry huge binoculars around with me or stand on the beach for hours!”

The Blue Boat, Watercolour and acrylic on prepared board,18x14in. (46x35.5cm)

Background first

Harriet works from both tube and pan colours, usually from quite a limited palette chosen to suit the particular subject. She starts with the background, working initially with big brushes and applying washes of colour, which she might leave to create a very delicate and calm quality, or subsequently wipe or brush into to develop subtle textures – as in the background of The Blue Boat, above.

She adds the rest of the background, any objects and details that are part of the design, and then she works on the bird. This is usually drawn in place using a traced outline from one of the earlier sketches, which enables it to be positioned exactly where required.

Harriet only needs the outline shape of the bird. It is then painted, building up the effect with a sequence of layers. Over a general colour wash, she adds the necessary markings and details of the plumage, now using much finer brushes.

“I focus on one painting at a time,” Harriet explains. “A painting might take several weeks to complete – it rather depends on what other demands there are on my time. I get very involved with each painting, and the finished work has to please me, otherwise I will destroy it and start again. For me, a successful painting is one that I have really enjoyed doing. I think if you enjoy painting something, it always enhances the result.”

Garden Birds and Seed Heads, watercolour and acrylic on prepared board, 18x18in. (46x46cm)