"Early Morn at Witton Marsh" by Mike Sibley

[Mike Sibley]

171-Witton-Marsh.jpg

"Early Morn at Witton Marsh" by Mike Sibley

We had almost continuous rain during the winter of 1997-98, which produced a shallow lake extending from our land into the uncultivated field opposite our house. Our land eventually dried out but the rough field gradually turned into a wetland area - a marsh that attracted herons and hares, pairs of nesting Mallards and Moorhens, Coots and a Curlew. The place was quite magical and I determined to capture it before it was lost to us.

A pair of Lapwings (aka Plovers or Peewits) moved in to breed and it is these that are depicted in the drawing. Despite a certain amount of artistic licence, the view as depicted is substantially the scene as I experienced it — and, with binoculars in hand, I visited five or six times a day.

The original drawing took 115 hours to complete and is now in a private collection in England.

[Laurene]

Magical and mysterious, your Early Morn at Witton Marsh draws us in and invites us to explore the scene with you. Thanks for sharing the exprience which inspired the drawing too. I think that these types of personal experiences always result in the best artwork.