Raymond Harris-Ching. New Zealand birds: an artist's field studies. Auckland: Reed Methuen, 1986.
Raymond Ching (1939-), also known as Raymond Harris-Ching, is an internationally recognised New Zealand painter best known for his ornithological illustration. Born in Wellington, he established himself as a wildlife artist in the 1960s before moving to England where he spent most of his career.
In addition to capturing the essence of a species’ characteristics, Ching’s paintings portray the individuality of a bird which is the central focus of the composition. In Raymond Ching, the bird paintings (1978) author Peter Hansard describes Ching’s work as a form of “portraiture”.
Ching rarely took notes or drew birds in the field. “He prefers instead to allow the image of the bird to form in his mind … The details of plumage and colour and anatomy are taken from study skins and from the vast store of previous studies and personal observations in the artist’s possession.” (Hansard, 1978).
Raymond Harris-Ching. New Zealand birds: an artist's field studies. Auckland: Reed Methuen, 1986.
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