Current News
2/21/09: I have started research and art for my M.F.A. thesis. I will be creating 15 paintings of birds of prey based on their impact on civilization and culture. In addition, I will look at the place of raptor artists such as John James Audubon, Roger Tory Peterson, Roger Bateman, and Peter Parnall and explore how their work affected peoples' perception of birds of prey.
Subjects I will look at include golden eagles as used by the Mongolian eagle hunters, falconry in the Middle East, Europe, and North America, owls and hawks as natural 'rodent control' on farms, and the place of birds of prey as deities, such as the harpy eagle in South America, the bald and golden eagles by Native Americans, and the vulture and falcon in ancient Egypt. As a result, I am doing a massive amount of research on many types of birds of prey. The painting aspect makes it necessary for me to become completely familiar with plumage and anatomy of these birds, which has been a very interesting research project.
I also started an art blog (for want of a better term), which can be found here: Featherseeds. As I will not be uploading any of the completed thesis paintings until after I have completed my thesis, I will use this blog as a place to show sketches, works in progress, and studies.
My thesis exhibition will be with fellow M.F.A. students Goņi Montes, Yossaya Aisiri, and (hopefully) Heather Elder. The show will run from April 5-18 at the StudioPlex in Atlanta. I will post more information, including the date of the opening, once it is established.
Also in site news, I have merged the Birdflowers section with the fantasy gallery, and made an additional gallery specifically for my surface design. Hopefully this makes things easier to navigate. If you have any comments or suggestions, please contact me!
9/3/08: I've just come back from DragonCon in Atlanta, and it was a lot of fun. I spent time with friends, including a few I hadn't seen in a very long time. The art show was amazing as it is every year. I never fail to leave the DragonCon art show impressed and inspired, and ready to get back to painting.
Some upcoming conventions I'll be sending art to are Anime Weekend Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia and MileHiCon in Denver, Colorado. I will be attending AWA, but not MileHiCon, as it is unfortunately across the country!
Now that I've had time to breathe, I have worked some more on this site, streamlining and redesigning things. The most notable is the addition of a prints page, including open edition as well as limited edition prints. Prints can now be purchased directly through this site. All prints are signed and individually bagged in clear, archival bags with sturdy backing, and are numbered if limited edition.
I hope to have a section for originals up soon. If you see an original you're interested in purchasing, please contact me or send me an email at brendamlyons(@)hotmail.com.
8/28/08: Once more, it's time for spring cleaning! I added a few new works to the galleries, and added a new gallery specially for the Birdflowers. There's also a new gallery for studies and sketches. Right now, I'm getting ready for DragonCon! If anyone's going to be there, I'll have work in the art show. Come stop on by!
