The Pigeon - Probably the most common bird in the world

8 x 10 Acrylic Painting by Mark Phillips

Today I sold the first 3 paintings in my birds of Barbados Collection. They were bought by one collector. This led me searching for some other paintings that I had done so that I could fill the empty spaces on my studio walls. I found this little beauty. 

Pigeons and doves constitute the animal family Columbidae and the order Columbiformes, which includes about 42 genera and 310 species. This family occurs worldwide. Pigeons and doves are likely the most common birds in the world.

My grandfather kept pigeons. The pigeon coop was located right next to the chicken coop in the backyard. Every morning he would let them out to fly far and wide and every afternoon they would return to be fed and locked away for the night. I have no idea why he kept them. I don’t think that he ate them. I can’t remember ever eating one. Just another thing to add to the list of things that I did not ask him when he was alive.

Pigeons are very interesting birds. Here are a few little-known facts.

1. THEY MIGHT BE THE FIRST DOMESTICATED BIRD.

The common city pigeon (Columba livia), also known as the rock pigeon, might be the first bird humankind ever domesticated. You can see them in art dating back as far as 4500 BCE in modern Iraq, and they've been a valuable source of food for thousands of years.

2. THEY UNDERSTAND SPACE AND TIME.

In a 2017 Current Biology study, researchers showed captive pigeons a series of digital lines on a computer screen for either two or eight seconds. Some lines were short, measuring about 2.3 inches across; others were four times longer. The pigeons were trained to evaluate either the length of the line or how long it was displayed. They found that the more time a line was displayed, the longer in length the pigeon judged it to be. The reverse was true too: If the pigeons encountered a longer line, they thought it existed in time for a greater duration. Pigeons, the scientists concluded, understand the concepts of both time and space; the researchers noted: "similar results have been found with humans and other primates."

  

3. THEY CAN FIND THEIR WAY BACK TO THE NEST FROM 1300 MILES AWAY.

The birds can do this even if they've been transported in isolation—with no visual, olfactory, or magnetic clues—while scientists rotate their cages so they don't know what direction they're travelling in. How they do this is a mystery, but people have been exploiting the pigeon's navigational skills since at least 3000 BCE when ancient peoples would set caged pigeons free and follow them to nearby land. Their navigational skills also make pigeons great long-distance messengers. Sports fans in ancient Greece are said to have used trained pigeons to carry the results of the Ancient Olympics. Further east, Genghis Khan stayed in touch with his allies and enemies alike through a pigeon-based postal network.

4. THEY SAVED THOUSANDS OF HUMAN LIVES DURING WORLD WARS I AND II.

Pigeons' homing talents continued to shape history during the 20th century. In both World Wars, rival nations had huge flocks of pigeon messengers. (America alone had 200,000 at its disposal in WWII.) By delivering critical updates, the birds saved thousands of human lives. One racing bird named Cher Ami completed a mission that led to the rescue of 194 stranded U.S. soldiers on October 4, 1918.

And, my favourite…

5. YOU CAN TRAIN THEM TO BE ART SNOBS …

Japanese psychologist Shigeru Watanabe and two colleagues earned an Ig Nobel Prize in 1995 for training pigeons, in a lab setting, to recognize the paintings of Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso and to distinguish between the painters. The pigeons were even able to use their knowledge of impressionism and cubism to identify paintings of other artists in those movements. Later, Watanabe taught other pigeons to distinguish watercolour images from pastels. And in a 2009 experiment, captive pigeons he'd borrowed were shown almost two dozen paintings made by students at a Tokyo elementary school, and were taught which ones were considered "good" and which ones were considered "bad." He then presented them with 10 new paintings and the avian critics managed to correctly guess which ones had earned bad grades from the school's teacher and a panel of adults. Watanabe's findings indicate that wild pigeons naturally categorize things on the basis of colour, texture, and general appearance.

6. … AND TO DISTINGUISH WRITTEN WORDS.

In a 2016 study, scientists showed that pigeons can differentiate between strings of letters and actual words. Four of the birds built up a vocabulary of between 26 and 58 written English words, and though the birds couldn't actually read them, they could identify visual patterns and therefore tell them apart. The birds could even identify words they hadn't seen before.

7. ONE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT, GIVEN THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, THEY'RE AS GOOD AT IDENTIFYING CANCER AS DOCTORS.

We've already established that pigeons are excellent at differentiating between artists and words, but a 2015 study revealed they can also distinguish between malignant and benign growths in the right conditions. Researchers at University of California Davis Medical Center put 16 pigeons in a room with magnified biopsies of potential breast cancers. If the pigeons correctly identified them as either benign or malignant, they got a treat, According to Scientific American.

"Once trained, the pigeons' average diagnostic accuracy reached an impressive 85 percent. But when a "flock sourcing" approach was taken, in which the most common answer among all subjects was used, group accuracy climbed to a staggering 99 percent, or what would be expected from a pathologist. The pigeons were also able to apply their knowledge to novel images, showing the findings weren't simply a result of rote memorization."

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Country Home

"Country Home". An 11 x 14 Acrylic Painting by Mark Phillips

As with most of my paintings, I was driving through St. John, just pass the entrance to Bath Beach and the old Cable and Wireless earth Station site, when I saw this house looking at home, nestled at the edge of this tropical forest.

This became the latest in my Chattel House Collection. It was done earlier this year and when I first painted it I was not very happy with the results so I packed it away on a shelf in the studio with the intention of changing it some day.

However, I was looking through some older paintings to fulfil an order for a client who purchased a license to use some of my original pieces in their company promotions, and I came upon this piece again.

Surprisingly, I loved it! I could find nothing that I wanted to change about it. If I was being purely academic, I must admit that it broke some composition rules that artists are taught to follow but looking at this piece I felt a sense of calm and relaxation. This was a piece of the real Barbados. A traditional home perfectly engineered to take advantage of the cooling St. John breezes blowing in off the Atlantic Ocean. I truly green space surrounded by the indigenous vegetation the covered this island before the exploitation by its European colonisers.

The steep gable roof, constructed of corrugated iron, perfectly adapted to suit a climate where heavy rains and high winds were the norm each year. The angle of the roof deflects the wind rather than providing a platform for it to lift off. The jalousie windows, with three sets of hinges - two vertical and one horizontal - allow maximum flexibility against the wind and sun. The interior of the house is kept cool while providing security and privacy.

I will like the share this poem that I found on Barbados.org. Unfortunately, they did not share the author's name. I believe that artists should be recognised for there work, so if anyone reading this knows of the author please tell us in the comments below.

"Little Houses"

Little houses built of wood, 

Sash window and the jalousies

Fretwork filters dim the light light 

To set the shade and cool breeze free

Little houses falling down 

Rumble tumble to the ground

Patchwork, nailed and hammered fast 

Loved and cherished to the last

Skilled and crafted

in precise scale

of detail like the villa grand

with pride upon the blocks you stand

Home where Grandma Settle lived

And where all 8 brothers grew,

living in a room or two

I grew up in St. Philip but I was born in St. John. As my mother loves to remind me, "my navel string bury there". The little village of Glenburnie situated about 2 miles from this house is where I came kicking and screaming into this world. No doctors or hospitals, just my mother and the village midwife with the ever-present sound of the Atlantic Ocean providing a perfect complement to our cries. 

This piece now hangs in my studio where I can see it every day. A reminder that we sometimes need to take a step back and look at something again before we can fully appreciate it.

“There are some people who see a great deal and some who see very little in the same things.” ― Thomas Henry Huxley

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

The Artist behind Phillips Art.

"Self Portrait".
A 9 x 12 pencil drawing done on Bristol vellum

This piece is a sketch I did that was to be a study for a self-portrait that I had intended to paint. I have still not gotten around to doing it!

Before I left Barbados I was contacted by a student from a Secondary School requesting information about me. This was for a project that he was doing at school regarding local artists.

I am now going to share with all of you the information that Roscoe requested.

Question 1. - What is your medium?

I paint on stretched canvas, white and black, and I use acrylic paints. I use canvas because of its archival nature. A well-primed canvas painted in either oil or acrylic paint will last for hundreds of years without significant deterioration. I want my work to be around long after I am gone.

As for the paints. I use a professional quality acrylic paint. Acrylic paint manufacturers like Liquitex, Windsor-Newton and Reeves all manufacture both student quality and professional quality paints. Again, because I use vibrant colours and I want these colours to last, only the professional paints have the levels of pigmentation that will do this.

I very seldom use oils. My studio is at home and the solvents used are toxic and not very healthy when inhaled over a long period of time. There are times, especially when doing portraits, that oils would make my life a lot easier because of the longer drying time. For example, acrylics dry within 15 minutes, oils in about 4 days. Therefore oils give you a long time to manipulate and adjust colours, tone and values while acrylics will require you to apply many layers of paint to achieve your finished piece. Plus my studio is air-conditioned and not well ventilated.

Question 2. - What inspires your art?

This is an easy one. Life. I paint what I see every day. Most of my work is from photos I have taken as I drive around Barbados. I love this quote from the genius;

“We artists are indestructible; even in a prison, or in a concentration camp, I would be almighty in my own world of art, even if I had to paint my pictures with my wet tongue on the dusty floor of my cell.” ― Pablo Picasso

Question 3. - What is your favourite subject?

This is a much more difficult question. I have no favourite. I paint what I am in the mood to paint. The only time that I vary from that is if I have a commission. And, since I only take a commission that I really want to do, there is never a case of me not enjoying it.

Question 4. - What is your process?

The photograph that I used as
a reference for the sketch above.

I approach every subject differently. For portraits, where capturing a likeness is essential I will usually work from a photograph. I prefer to take my own photos so that I am sure that I will have the detail I need to produce a finished piece that truly represents the subject. I would on occasion use a grid method to help with the original sketch. Scenes with people will require a sketch in pencil, chalk or charcoal to make sure everything is in the right place before I begin painting whilst landscapes and seascapes I will start painting directly on the blank canvas.

While painting I listen to music. Usually, old reggae or calypso from the 70s and 80s. I work mainly in my studio but on occasion I may do a little "plein air" (outside onsite), sketching. My studio is closed up, quiet, and not very well lit. This is a technique I learned from another artist. A dark room forces you to unconsciously use brighter colours. Therefore, when your paintings are displayed in normal light they are so much brighter than if painted in natural light.

Question 5. - How did you become an Artist?

I honestly don't know how to answer that. From the time I was at Primary school, I enjoyed drawing. When I reached Secondary school I discovered painting. I then bought my own cheap watercolours and started painting at home. I remember, when I was about 11 years old, an elderly Canadian gentleman by the name of Mr. Case,  came to the house to collect my mother for work and saw some paintings that I had done.

He offered to buy me some paints if I painted some pictures for him. I agreed and he bought me my first set of oil paints. I did 4 or 5 paintings which he framed and they hung in his house. My mother's house smelt of turpentine and linseed oil for weeks afterwards! Years later, after he and later his wife had died, his family, who did not live in Barbados, decided to sell the house. My mother had worked for the couple for all the years that they had lived in Barbados and the family told her to take whatever she wanted from the house as they were going to sell everything. My mother took all the paintings that I had done. They now hang in her home. In fact, it was not all. One was missing. It was one of a champion racehorse that Mr. Case had owned in Canada. My mother told me that he had taken it back to Canada to be hung in his old horse racing club! Maybe it is still there today.

Question 6. - Where can we see your work?

I am currently not displaying my work in any galleries. You can visit my website, www.phillipsbajanart.com or my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/phillipsbajanart. I find that I am being asked this more and more and I will be speaking to a few galleries in the coming months about displaying some of my pieces.

“The job is what you do when you are told what to do. The job is showing up at the factory, following instructions, meeting spec, and being managed.
Someone can always do your job a little better or faster or cheaper than you can. The job might be difficult, it might require skill, but it's a job.

Your art is what you do when no one can tell you exactly how to do it. Your art is the act of taking personal responsibility, challenging the status quo, and changing people.

I call the process of doing your art 'the work.' It's possible to have a job and do the work, too. In fact, that's how you become a linchpin. The job is not the work.” ― Seth Godin, Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

As always, thank you for reading, I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work with you, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Rest In Peace "Brig Lew".

An 11 x 14 Acrylic Painting of  Harrison Point Lighthouse
 by Mark Phillips

Firstly, let me apologise for not posting over the last week. I was off the island on business and time just did not allow it.

This is an 11 x 14 acrylic painting of the lighthouse at Harrison Point, St. Lucy. When I started this piece I intended only to capture a beautiful St. Lucy sunset to complement the sunrise at River Bay that I did before.

However, from the time I started working, a sense of sadness came over me as I started to reminisce about the time I spent stationed at Harrison Point in 1984 & later in 1986/87.

I did my recruit training at the old U.S. Naval Base at Harrison Point which by this time was controlled by the Barbados Defence Force and renamed the National Youth Service Training Centre, (N.Y.S.T.C.) Despite the gruelling and sometimes sadistic nature of the training, I can still say that the experience at Harrison Point had made me the man, the father, the husband, that I am today.

When I left school, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I knew that I didn't want to spend the next 4 or 5  years of my life at University training to work for someone else. I had the required GCE O & A levels but I had no intention of being stuck in a classroom. I had spent 8 years at the Lodge School and enough was enough.

I was a rebel at school, constantly getting into trouble for flaunting any rule that was in my opinion, silly. I wore suede shoes for 3 years because I argued that the rules required that brown leather shoes be worn and opinioned that my suede shoes were indeed leather. This lead to many confrontations with the then headmaster, one Cecil Everton Aurelius Smith or "Joe", as he was known to us students. Joe was constantly on my case about my shoes and no matter how I was punished, I persisted in defiance of this silly rule. The thing that made it more frustrating for Joe was the fact that I was best friends with his nephew Michael and very good friends with another nephew Craig and his son Roger. This brought us into contact more than either Joe or myself would have liked. 

One evening, when I was in my final year of Upper 6th form, l was walking across the courtyard around  5 pm. after cricket practice and Joe stopped me. He told me not to come to him for a testimonial as he would not perjure himself for me. I was really taken aback by this. I did not even intend to ask him for one but I was still pissed. It would be many years later before I consciously made the effort to forgive him for that slight. That was when I learned of his prolonged illness around the same time as hearing about the murder of his wife.

However, I digress. Joining the Barbados Defence Force channelled me in the right direction when I could have easily wandered done the wrong path.

This painting conjures up feelings of sadness, not because of my recruiting experience but because of what happened a few years later. It was in either 1986 or 1987 that I, a young Second Lieutenant just back from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, was posted as Officer-in-Charge of the base at Harrison Point. By this time, the camp was no longer a training camp. It was a guard post. The explosives used for excavation by the nearby cement plant was stored in the old US army armoury which was situated in the T-Building in the area close to the lighthouse. The soldiers guarded the building and provided armed escort services for the explosives.

It is customary for the Officer-in-Charge to have a Sergeant as his Second-in-Command (2IC). However, I was posted there for about 3 months with a Corporal as my 2IC. And, what a corporal! Corporal Murphy was the most unreliable, untrustworthy, conniving son of a bitch that you would ever have the misfortune to meet and on top of that he was an alcoholic that would drink himself into a stupor on occasions. Not the type of person that you would like to leave in charge! The result was that for my entire tour of duty at Harrison Point, I did not go home. I spent every night in camp even when I was officially off!

Unfortunately, I was not the only one spending unusually long hours in camp. We were understaffed and most of the men were working 3 or 4 times harder than their counterparts at Headquarters, (HQ), or even at the new Paragon Base. Moral was at an all-time low and tempers were beginning to flare. There was only one telephone available to make outside calls and for obvious reasons, I had forbidden its use for personal calls. This meant that soldiers were out of contact with their wives and girlfriends and the teasing of the other soldiers about who was doing what with them was beginning to take its toll.

I made a report to HQ highlighting the status of moral of the men and stating my concerns about me alone supervising 30 unhappy testosterone-fuelled soldiers walking around with rifles and live ammunition.  I was accused of being melodramatic. Fortunately, I was reassigned a few weeks later. It was very soon after that Private Roderick Lewis, (aka Brig Lew), was shot and killed at Harrison Point by another soldier as they were on guard duty one night.

This incident hit me hard! I was devastated! Not only was Brig Lew a friend of mine, we had recruited together at Harrison Point. Not only had I lost a friend but I am sure that the situation these young men were placed into at Harrison Point was in some way responsible for this incident.  I will say no more before I say too much. Continue to Rest In Peace "Brig Lew".

"Your lost friends are not dead, but gone before, advanced a stage or two upon that road which you must travel in the steps they trod." Aristophanes

For your information, some months after I had left Harrison Point, Corporal Murphy was driving drunk one night and was involved in a fatal hit and run which resulted in him going AWOL and leaving the island to avoid prosecution.

My art is inspired by my life's experiences. Every painting has a story and, although when I started this painting, I had no intention of telling this story, I am glad that I did.

As always, thank you for reading, I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work with you, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Window to the Sea

"Window to the Sea" A 16 x 20 Acrylic Painting
by Mark Phillips

This piece was done from a photograph I took one day driving from St. Lucy's Parish Church to Speightstown. As I came around the bend at the bottom of Colleton Hill, I came upon this perfect scene.

This was painted in acrylics with a limited palette. That is to say, I used only red, yellow, blue, black & white. There was no preliminary sketch. At about 9 a.m. I started working on a blank white canvas with my #2 Filbert white bristle brush. It was one of those rare days that I could dedicate all my time to painting and by 11 pm that night I did my symbolic, (and actual), "dropping of the brush", to indicate to myself and the universe that I was finished.

I sat back looking at the painting and I realised immediately where this painting belonged. It was the perfect complement to another 16 x 20 of mine done of Bottom Bay in St. Philip and bought by a collector a few weeks before. I contacted her the next day and told her that I had a piece to show her. I took it a few days later and she wrote me the cheque on the spot! The two pieces belonged together. 

My daughter came into my studio the very next day and asked me where it had gone. She was very annoyed with me when I told her that it was sold. She wanted it for her room! I even offered to purchase a framed print of it, larger than the original, from my online store but she refused with a, "Daddy please! I only hang originals!" I have raised a snob!

Over the next few days, I will be sharing some of my older work. Many of these would have been sold and the photographs of some of them may not be of the best quality.  The main reason that I will not be showing any new work for at least a week is that I will be travelling to Miami for a few days on business and will be away from my studio. 

It is not that I have not been working. Currently, I have three (3) paintings working on simultaneously and none will be finished before I go.  They are all commisions. My facebook page has been keeping me busy but I refuse more than I accept. I am determined not to let my art turn into another "job". I work on what I enjoy and on subjects that I believe I can do justice to. At my age, this is the only way to work.  Don't just take my word for it. 

Here is what he has to say...

“There comes a time when you ought to start doing what you want. Take a job that you love. You will jump out of bed in the morning. I think you are out of your mind if you keep taking jobs that you don’t like because you think it will look good on your resume. Isn’t that a little like saving up sex for your old age?”  Warren Buffet

Warren Buffett is worth over 66 billion dollars. He is the third wealthiest person in the world. He’s the owner and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and he has pledged to give away 99 percent of his wealth to charity upon death.

As always, thank you for reading, I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work with you, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Doctor Booby - A Mighty Bird in a Tiny Package

"Doctor Booby" Bird. 8 x 10 Acrylic Painting
of a Humming Bird by Mark Phillips

As children, we grew up calling this bird a “Doctor Booby”.

Apparently, this is because 19th-century doctors wore long black coats so people couldn’t easily see the blood and gore that often got on their clothes while performing their duties. In the Barbados sunshine, the iridescent colours of the hummingbird are hidden and the dark silhouette of the hummingbird is often all you can see.

And… like the doctors of yesterday, they are always on the move, too busy to stop in one place for long.

I am 50% sure that this is a painting of the Green-throated Carib. This was easy to figure out as there are, to the best of my knowledge, only two species of Barbados hummingbird. The other is the Antillean Crested. If I am wrong please let me know. I am by no means an expert. I just think that they are awesome!

Hummingbirds are small, colourful birds with iridescent feathers. Their name comes from the fact that they flap their wings so fast (about 80 times per second) that they make a humming noise. Hummingbirds can fly right, left, up, down, backwards, and even upside down. They are also able to hover by flapping their wings in a figure-8 pattern. They have a specialized long and tapered bill that is used to obtain nectar from the centre of long, tubular flowers. The hummingbird’s feet are used for perching only and are not used for hopping or walking.

As a child, I remember marvelling at a hummingbird chasing blackbirds and other larger birds from the “coffee bush” in our yard, where they made their tiny, yet very well constructed nest. There are fiercely territorial and fearless despite their tiny size. Dr. Boobys, (or is it Dr. Boobies?), are fascinating creatures. Their very existence should make us humble ourselves before a creator that can not only conceptualize but bring into being such a marvel of biological engineering.

Vision

They have a dense array of retinal neurons allowing for increased spatial resolution in the lateral and frontal visual fields. Morphological studies showed that neuronal hypertrophy, relatively the largest in any bird, exists in a brain region called the pretectal nucleus lentiformis mesencephali (or nucleus of the optic tract in mammals) responsible for refining dynamic visual processing while hovering and during rapid flight. The enlargement of this brain region responsible for visual processing indicates enhanced ability for perception and processing of fast-moving visual stimuli which hummingbirds encounter during rapid forward flight, insect foraging, competitive interactions, and high-speed courtship.

Metabolism

With the exception of insects, hummingbirds while in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals – a necessity to support the rapid beating of their wings during hovering and fast forward flight. Their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute, a rate once measured in a blue-throated hummingbird, with a breathing rate of 250 breaths per minute, even at rest. During flight, oxygen consumption per gram of muscle tissue in a hummingbird is about 10 times higher than that measured in elite human athletes.

Hummingbirds are rare among vertebrates in their ability to rapidly make use of ingested sugars to fuel energetically expensive hovering flight, powering up to 100% of their metabolic needs with the sugars they drink (in comparison, human athletes max out at around 30%). Hummingbirds can use newly ingested sugars to fuel hovering flight within 30–45 minutes of consumption. These data suggest that hummingbirds are able to oxidize sugar in flight muscles at rates high enough to satisfy their extreme metabolic demands. By relying on newly ingested sugars to fuel flight, hummingbirds can reserve their limited fat stores to sustain their overnight fasting or to power migratory flights.

Studies of hummingbirds' metabolisms are relevant to the question of how a migrating ruby-throated hummingbird can cross 800 km (500 miles) of the Gulf of Mexico on a nonstop flight. This hummingbird, like other birds preparing to migrate, stores fat as a fuel reserve, thereby augmenting its weight by as much as 100%, hence increasing the potential flying time over open water.

Flight stability

The only type of bird that relies solely on its own strength to hover in the air, a hummingbird flapping its wings requires more mass-based mechanical power output than any other form of locomotion. Now, scientists have discovered that the tiny bird’s efficiency comes from the ratio of the wing’s length to its width. Researchers from Stanford University and Wageningen University tested the hover performance of 26 hummingbird wings from 12 different species in a machine that measured the torque and lift the wings produced at various angles.

The study also found that the aerodynamic performance of hummingbird wings is “remarkably similar” to that of our most advanced micro-helicopter, (drone), rotor. But the wings were up to 27 percent more efficient. Better than the best our brightest scientists can produce!

Torpor

The metabolism of hummingbirds can slow at night or at any time when food is not readily available: the birds enter a hibernation-like, deep-sleep state (known as torpor) to prevent energy reserves from falling to a critical level. During night-time torpor, body temperature falls from 40 to 18 °C, with heart and breathing rates both slowed dramatically (heart rate to roughly 50 to 180 beats per minute from its daytime rate of higher than 1000).

Hummingbirds have a long history of folklore and symbolism in native cultures. The Aztecs saw them as messengers between them and their ancestors or the gods. In Native American culture, hummingbirds are seen as healers and bringers of love, good luck and joy. In Central America, they are a sign of love and will bring love to the person who spots them.

Unfortunately, with the development of housing in areas where these birds traditionally thrived, they are not as prolific as they used to be. I have sighted only one in my garden so far this year. I would like to think that this is because I was too busy to notice but… who knows.

Have you ever thought that hummingbirds seem like something out of a fairy-tale? There is something magical about their colours, shape and the way their move as if they are reminding us to seek out the magic in life.

“The ruby-throated hummingbird is a wonder of migration. Every winter it makes an amazing journey. Some have been known to make a journey of 2500 miles or more, from Alaska to Central America. Because of it, the hummingbird is a symbol for accomplishing that which seems impossible. It will teach you how to find the miracle of joyful living from your own life circumstances.” – Ted Andrews 

As always, thank you for reading, (and viewing). I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work with you, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore

Fishing Boats at Six Men's

Six Men's Bay. An 11 x 14 Acrylic Painting by Mark Phillips 

I completed this painting earlier this year. This was the first in my fishing boat collection. I did this on a smaller canvas as I wanted it to sell at a price that was affordable to everyone. Like all of my 11 x 14 pieces, this piece is only Bds $400.00 and can be hung without a frame, however, as it is of a standard size, frames are readily available.

Six Men's Bay is one of the few traditional fishing villages left in Barbados. It is located on the North West Coast of Barbados, in the parish of St. Peter.

Six Men's Bay developed as a fishing village towards the end of the 19th century and to this day Bajan fishermen still regularly bring their hauls into the bay to be sold at the local Six Men's Fishing Complex. 

Due to its northerly location, Six Men's Bay is one of the less busy West Coast beaches in Barbados, perfect for those of us who enjoy peace and quiet. There is a wide sandy beach and restrooms and showers at the Six Men's Beach facility makes it the perfect location for a family day out or a picnic. Years ago, this was a favourite Sunday lime. I would cook Sunday lunch and pack it in the trunk of the car and my wife, the children and I would spend many a Sunday afternoon at Six Men's and the nearby Heywoods Beach. Alas, the children are all grown and that way of life is but a fond memory.

Six Men's Bay represents the best of what Barbados used to be. Visiting Six Mens is akin to stepping back in time. An ideal place to slow down and "chill". The Six Men's Bay community has not let development rob it of its unique Bajan character.  You can still see the local boat builders repairing their small wooden fishing boats or even building new boats on the beach, using the wood from the Barbados mahogany tree.

The Barbados fisheries sector is a significant contributor to the local economy.  Fishing in Barbados provides employment and income, directly and indirectly, for an estimated 6,000 people made up of mainly small entrepreneurs.  The Barbadian fishing fleet consists of mainly wooden vessels, some of which fish on a daily basis, and a much larger trawler-type, which stays at sea for several days. The smaller boats are referred to as, "day-boats". That’s because they usually spend one day at a time at sea, while the larger vessels are called, "ice-boats" because they carry large supplies of ice and can spend days at sea without returning to shore.

I have a lot of respect for anyone who makes a living working on a fishing boat. On a few occasions, I have spent some time on a day boat and I can personally attest to the fact that it is no picnic. I was first introduced to life on fishing boats in Skeete's Bay, St. Philip when I was a youngster, so I don't get violently seasick, (anymore). 

Early, one Sunday morning, about 15 years ago, I accompanied a friend visiting from the U.S.A and Evvy, a local boat owner, on a fishing boat out of Weston, St. James. We rowed out to the boat on a small "moses", (small wooden canoe), and climbed onto the boat with our lines and our bait  Throughout that trip, I remember having that very uncomfortable feeling in my stomach that all but the most seasoned mariners still feel every time they venture into deep, choppy water on what is no more than a few pieces of wood held together with a hope and a prayer. 

My friend, Derrick, fared a lot worst. I believe that it was his vomit that attracted the first flying fish! We spent about 4 hours out and caught a couple dozen flying fish and 2 small dolphins, (Mahi Mahi, not Flipper). We shared them among ourselves when we returned to shore. 

I cannot remember a more satisfying Sunday morning!

I leave you with the words of the inimitable Karl Marx.

"Sell a man a fish, he eats for a day, teach a man how to fish, you ruin a wonderful business opportunity." Karl Marx

As always, thank you for reading, I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work with you, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com

Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore 

River Sunrise

"River Sunrise" A 16 x 20 acrylic painting by Mark Phillips

Too few of us take time to appreciate the beauty of this island of ours. I too am guilty of being caught up in the hustle and bustle of making a living and providing for my family but this year I am making a conscious effort to stop and smell the roses. 

When last did you get up early enough to enjoy a sunrise?  Like Mehmet said:-

“Sunrise looks spectacular in the nature; sunrise looks spectacular in the photos; sunrise looks spectacular in our dreams; sunrise looks spectacular in the paintings, because it really is spectacular!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

People come from all over the world to enjoy our island and I am making sure that I, who was fortunate enough to be born here, experience everything we have to offer. How often do you here Bajans say that they have not had a sea bath in years, or that they never saw Harrison's Cave or Welshman Hall Gully?

For a few years, I made the effort to view the sunrise on New Year's day from in the hills overlooking East Coast Road. Unfortunately, that did not last. Life got in the way. As a child, I have watched many a sunset from my bedroom window. We lived at Ragged Point Lighthouse, St. Philip and I used to boast that we saw the sun first and that we felt the wind first, as we lived on one of the most Easterly points of the island. Alas, I now live in St. James in the West of the island, and while there is no shortage of sunsets, sunrises are no way as spectacular as I am accustomed to. 

This painting is of a sunrise viewed from River Bay in St. Lucy. It was inspired by a stock photo I came across on the internet. Unfortunately, it did not credit the photographer, but I thank you, whoever you are. The colours reminded me of just how beautiful a Barbadian sunrise is.  

"Sunrise offered a very beautiful spectacle; the water was quite unruffled, but the motion communicated by the tides was so great that, although there was not a breath of air stirring, the sea heaved slowly with a grand and majestic motion." George Grey

This painting was done "Alla Prima".  It took me about 4 hours. Alla prima is an Italian term meaning "at first attempt." It indicates a method of painting in which a picture is completed by painting on the entire surface of the canvas all at once rather than by traditional method which required a methodical building of the image, piecemeal fashion with successive layers of paint. Today, alla prima painting is generally referred to as direct painting. In French, it is called "premier coup".

This technique was criticised by the artistic world of the time and the curriculum of the Italian Accademia di San Luca, (founded in Florence in Italy in 1577) was, at least as far as technique is concerned, designed to combat the "abhorrent" practices followed by Caravaggio (1571–1610) and the Bamboccianti of painting low-life subjects done in the direct alla prima mode.

Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627–1678) a Dutch painter and art writer, lamented that those artists who turned to "ras schilderen",("rapid painting") did so for profit and fame as much as for the love of art. Evidently, economic and artistic preoccupations were inextricably linked. It was inconceivable that you could love art and love money at the same time.

I am looking for neither fame or fortune. This technique is one I resort to whenever the subject lends itself to be so expressed. I have to take a more traditional approach with portraits but, in my humble opinion, this painting has lost very little by this approach.

As always, thank you for reading. I appreciate the comments and the kind words of encouragement. Until next time when I will share some more of my work and a little about what makes me tick, please leave a comment.  And, I will really appreciate if you share this post with your friends. To make sure that you don't miss any future posts, Please enter your email address in the subscribe by email box on the right.

Mark Phillips

Artist
Email:- mark@phillipsbajanart.com
Website:-www.phillipsbajanart.com
Online Store:- PhillipsArtStore