With restrictions easing I have been lucky enough to get out and about in Perthshire, the Highlands and West Coast of Scotland in the last few weeks. The stunning scenery brings to mind many of John’s pictures and drawings, some of which I have showcased here. The last three pictures were illustrations for the book […]
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Delving into the sketchbooks
With over a hundred sketchbooks from a lifetime of drawing, John’s archive is a rich source of observations of bird and animal behaviour. As well as drawings of the species observed, he would mark colours, habitat and sometimes note a compositional idea that he might later work up into a finished picture. I have dipped […]
Birds in your Garden
As we come up to the RSPB’s Big Garden Bird Watch can I recommend again this delightful book published 1989 and currently available very cheaply on the secondhand book market? It is full of wonderful illustrations by John, many in full colour and takes you through a whole year in your garden with ideas for […]
At SOC Aberlady this December…and January….and February…
The Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC) at Aberlady are holding these original watercolours and drawings by John Busby. Prices range from £130 to £450. A special present to treat yourself or someone else? Although currently closed (Jan 2021) the gallery will reopen at some point probably Thurs to Sunday as before – see SOC website If […]
Silent cliffs and restless water
“The contrast between silent cliffs and restless water offer powerful pictorial dynamics for an artist, as do the changes of light and shade and the air full of circling birds. The cliffs are a frontier between us and the horizon – to the seabirds, they are a necessary foothold on which to nest; a vertical […]
New additions – hares
In his book Lines from Nature, John wrote, “Boxing hares in spring present a challenge to catch the movement. Often they are too engrossed in their rivalry to be alarmed by a watcher. Hares seem so much more alive and intelligent than rabbits, or is that just my prejudice against the pests that invade our […]
New Additions
Here are some of the newest additions to the website – enjoy! Those with a BUY NOW button are available from our online shop. The others won’t be far behind but please contact us to discuss options, particularly if you need international delivery.
Wet weather wagtails
Here’s little ‘trotty’ wagtail who went in the rain, according to the poem by John Clare, the 19th Century poet known for his celebration of the English countryside. The Pied Wagtail is a highly distinctive black and white bird with a strutting walk and a tail constantly moving up and down. It’s ‘tittering, tottering’ motion […]
Beautiful Cranes
Thank you to the International Crane Foundation and the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum for featuring John on their latest webinar Cranes and Artists – a creative dance. Available to view on the ICF YouTube channel here. In his book Lines from Nature John wrote, ” At Hornborgasjon… is one of the great bird events […]
In celebration
In celebration of John’s life and work, the family offer this short film on the fifth anniversary of his death. We feel particularly lucky that he lives on through his pictures and through them we see again the natural world with renewed insight. “The artist’s job is to open eyes – to see what is […]