Drawn to the Wild Paintings of New Zealand Birds

About this book

Nicolas Dillon is one of New Zealand's leading wildlife artists, who has built a reputation over the last 30 years for his masterful portraits of our wildlife, in particular birds. His evocative, moody paintings are deeply considered observations of nature and the environment.

At the heart of his practice is drawing in the field. Using a high-powered spotting scope, he works quickly to capture the living character of the birds he is observing. Drawn to the Wild beautifully illustrates his working process by combining many of the drawings and watercolour sketches done directly from life, with finished paintings completed in his studio.

Nicolas Dillon is motivated by a deep yearning to connect with something beyond what he sees. 'It's about an intimacy or a closeness, a feeling for nature that I am trying to put across in the paintings.'

With drawings, sketches and paintings of most of our bird species, as well as text from the author to capture something of his experience of painting the featured birds, this book is a beautiful, heartfelt tribute to New Zealand's birdlife.

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Biography

Nicolas Dillon has been a full-time wildlife painter for over 30 years, building a national reputation for his ability to capture the character and life force of the birds he repeatedly studies and observes. He was raised on a farm in Marlborough, and after travelling overseas returned to live and work on the Wairau Plains outside Blenheim, where he lives with his wife and two children.