 Watercolor
Artist Sid Frissell
Sid Frissell lives a life that ebbs and flows with the
rhythms of bird migration.
You could even say that birds are, and have always been, a
dynamic force in his life story. Although he doesn’t recall
when he first spotted a bird with a pair of binoculars –
which he says happened more than 50 years ago – he fondly
recollects retiring from a 27-year career as an educator and
researcher at the University of Montana, to become a
full-time artist in 1993.
“It was a great decision,” says Frissell, from the snugly
comfortable confines of his watercolor studio and
Stevensville home, where the impressive struts of warblers,
sparrows, magpies and meadowlarks are as common in the
backyard during the spring as brightly colored leaves.
“I’ve done a lot more bird watching, hiking and camping
since then.”
Transitioning from working as a dean at the college’s
forestry school and teaching wilderness administration and
bird management classes, to becoming a full-fledged artist,
creating paintings of natural environments, almost
exclusively containing birds, wasn’t so difficult.
 That’s
because Frissell has always been a consummate field birder
and keen observer of bird life and heavily interested in
capturing birds in their natural habitat through art. His
paintings are generally representational, but often contain
both realistic and impressionistic elements.
“I make sure all the colors, arrangements and color patterns
I use are accurate. Sometimes I’ll do things a little bit
impressionistically, which is the way you see birds with the
naked eye. I’m not a feather painter who shows individual
feathers and details, or who attempts to meticulously render
every individual spot. I often fade the background into an
impressionistic one.”
Today, Frissell is a creative wonder among bird artists, and
through the years he has shown his work and received awards
in art galleries from Montana to California. Birds have
kept, and perhaps will always keep, Frissell active and
engaged. But, just what is it about birds that this artist
finds so intriguing?
Frissell says: “For me, I love the colors that different
birds have, and I love their distinct movements. Some people
say that we envy them because they can fly, and I guess I’m
a bit envious watching an eagle soar. But mostly, I love
watching certain birds for their beautiful colors, and
others for their swift flight patterns and high-soaring
power and strength.”
For Frissell, birding, and the artistic inspirations coming
from it, provides a sense of accomplishment and connection
with nature.
Indeed, the Bitterroot Mountains supply a backdrop for some
dramatic and enjoyable adventures. As far as premier birding
locations go, the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge near
Stevensville, keeps the binoculars busy. Besides recurrent
local rambles at the Metcalf Refuge, and around Darby and
Sula, Frissell takes frequent trips to the Sapphires, to
Yellowstone and Glacier Parks, and throughout the Big Hole
area.
“We’re all lucky to have a place like the Metcalf Refuge
around. It’s a neat place, because it supplies plenty of
open ponds, forested land and places to hike.”
Frissell has been a bird watcher since he was a young kid,
so perhaps it’s not surprising that birds simply flow off
his paintbrush like no other subject matter. Over the years,
he has explored abundant waterways, high-mountaintops and
lush forests by boat, foot and automobile, searching and
finding such flighty subjects.
“I love natural landscapes and will only paint wild birds in
natural settings. I tend to paint songbirds the most. I’m
not a waterfowl or raptor specialist. I do paint loons. I
like to paint shore birds, which are more of a challenge to
locate. I’ve done owls and a flock of phalaropes before.”
Frissell adds: “Birds come in all colors, sizes and shapes,
and live in a wide variety of habitats. The number of
possible combinations of these variables, plus a multitude
of behavioral gestures and lighting moods can keep me busy
for as long as I can hold a paintbrush.”
 The
artistic and illustrative processes of Frissell’s watercolor
art transfers his fascination and enjoyment of beautiful
birds to his viewers, resulting in what he hopes will
develop a greater appreciation for our natural world, as
well as foster more awareness for its preservation.
Most of Frissell’s artwork is created from visual recordings
of previous birding experiences. Usually, he’ll take digital
photos or videos of birds, go home and look at or watch
them, and then deliberately sketch the details. Yet other
times he’ll draw and paint subjects from life instead of
relying on copying photographs.
Frissell begins a majority of his paintings by applying
habitat sketches of leaves or logs from his field
observation notebook. The notebook, replete with
explanations and memos, includes curious-looking logs and
tree branches that have captivated his interest. Then, these
images are blended with Frissell’s preexisting knowledge of
bird anatomy and symmetry. Occasionally – less than that
actually, rarely – a bird will be sitting in the right place
surrounded by a perfect composition, ready for painting.
Often, he’ll sketch the bird first and then choose and place
ground or water vegetation (or sometimes both) that’s
previously been doodled in one of his sketchbooks. For
example, perhaps a bird all alone looks too stark, so he’ll
add water patterns or a log or play with other ideas.
“You can start with the habitat, start with the bird, or
stumble upon a perfect scene of interesting textures,
perfect patterns and favorable light. Most of my paintings
are made of pieces from several places, and I’m
knowledgeable enough to put them in the right places.”
Next, Frissell uses tracing paper and plays with
compositions, leaving and adding the parts and poses of his
preference. This is the slowest part of the painting
process, developing catchy, natural-looking, or
eye-ravishing structures.
Then, this rough drawing is expanded to a larger pad that’s
suitable for the painting. The etching is rubbed with pencil
lead, or traced with a soft pencil, which will transfer the
picture onto watercolor paper.
Frissell says that watercolor art is a notoriously
challenging and difficult medium, and that, for him, the
bird watching part always feels enjoyable and simple, that
it somehow balances out the unsparing painting process.
“I can watch bird behaviors for hours, and time just flies
by. It’s pretty absorbing, both the bird watching and the
painting. But, with the birding, it’s always an excuse to
get out and enjoy life’s surrounding natural beauty.”
Sid Frissell’s artwork may be viewed at Robert Neaves’ Art
Focus Fine Arts and Framing Gallery, 215 West Main Street,
Hamilton. Phone: (406) 363-4112.
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