"Kori Bustard" Painting

I developed an interest in birds since when I was young. I used to keep birds in cages for fun and also eat them. Later in 1999 I stopped trapping birds for food or fun but instead I enjoyed watching them in the wild. I bought my first bird book in 2001 and that’s when I was introduced into bird watching. In 2002 I started painting birds and selling them. Since they were selling like hot cakes, it was an encouragement to me to go further with bird paintings and bird studies. After intensive studies in bird biology from December 2006 to April 2007 I wrote an exam from Cornell lab of Ornithology and passed and they gave me a certificate in bird biology. This helped me a lot in understanding birds. I mostly use oil on canvas I have experimented with other media but I prefer oil on canvas and Charcoal on paper. I use different ways to come up with a painting. Sometimes I rely on memory sometimes I use pictures and sometimes I use description as long as I have seen that bird before. When using pictures I make sure I don’t copy I just use it for the colors the rest comes from my head. I have never attended art school but I come from a talented family. Every member of the family can paint and draw, but only the three of us have come out to the public. I was born on 8th February, 1985. I am a Malawian by nationality. I grew up with my mother and brothers who have encouraged me to take art as a future way of earning a living. I started selling my bird paintings at Nyanja Art Studio & gallery. My elder brother Nyangu is one of the people who have helped me during my early stage, with some art materials such as paint, brushes, canvases etc