Front cover

The Whinchat is one of my favourite models - beautifully designed by Mother Evolution and always showing off in interesting poses. I was a bit unhappy about the dull background when I was done with this painting but Magnus Billqvist did the layout of the front cover in a way that makes the painting come out of its boundaries and talk to us. It has struck me many times that a painting's ability to communicate with the viewer depends a lot on how and where it is shown and not just on how it is painted.

Warty Newt

This is a male Warty Newt, also known by the name Great Crested Newt. It lives on land but breeds in ponds and pools in southern Scandinavia and Eastern, Central, and Western Europe. I made this illustration for a poster featuring protected species in the province of Småland.

Male pintails

I am still working on the identification plates to be published in the June 2010 issue of the ornithological magazine Anser. Here is how to tell a first-winter male from an older one: a bit smaller body, rounder head, shorter and duller beak, and shorter tertials often obscured by the shoulder feathers. In flight the duller wings are also worth noticing.

Roe doe

I will be spending the next two months painting 30-40 new pictures for the local zoo Skånes Djurpark. This gives me an opportunity to visit the zoo in winter - a lovely experience with snow, hopefully sunshine and all the animals in their beautiful winter furs.