Many of New Zealand's endemic birds may not fly well if at all, but they're still a challenge for artists wanting to sketch them in the wild. The nocturnal species pose an extra degree of difficulty for artists wanting to sketch en plein air.
Nicolas Dillon knows that feeling well. He's out in the snow and the sun, in hard to get to places all to observe and draw and paint the birds he loves.
He lives on the Wairau Plains near Blenheim, not far from where he grew up. The watercolourist has just published a book called Drawn to the Wild - Paintings of New Zealand birds.
It's published by Potton & Burton and is out now.
