A Change of Pace

My last painting had some energetic birds. These are a bit less so.

Snow geese have a stunning dark color phase and they are often referred to as blue geese or blues. I love the gray, black and white which seem much more dressed up than their less showier brothers.

The warmer colored log cabin sets off the birds and I thought a muzzle loader would fit the time period more authentically than a newer weapon.

Harvest Blues
38" X 24"
Original Oil

The last of the birds

Flight
30" x 52"
Original Oil

Yes, this is a lot of birds. I probably saw tens of thousands when I was at Lake Nakuru in Kenya. (I didn't paint all of them here.)

After doing a number of pieces with more monotone renderings, I was hankering for some bright splashes. Leave it to the avian world to provide the needed color kick.

Time for some water

I was getting a bit lost in the birds, so I decided to play with the lower water. After all the birds are finished, I'll add the highlights and splashes in the water.

Next, time to finish the middle section. This is more by feel than anything else. I want the birds soft but recognizable as flamingos. Too much detail and the depth is lost. Too little and I won't have a good transition to the background.

Blocking

I've blocked in the birds on the lower right. The "white" and pink details will be added later and be used to shape the birds to give them a 3-D effect.

Back from Europe and Africa

Sorry it has been a while since I have posted.

Just returned from a whirlwind trip. Beginning in Barcelona, we traveled to Tunisia, Rome, Florence/Pisa, Genoa, Villefranche, and back to Barcelona.

I saw some amazing art and architecture and added two more countries to my list (Spain and Tunisia) for a total of 35.

For highlights:
Tunisia - Carthage Roman Baths. Great site to walk around amidst the Roman ruins.
Rome - Seeing the Sistine Chapel again now that it has been cleaned, and having a private tour of the Vatican Museum and St. Peter's.
Florence - Climbing the Duomo to the Cupola. See photo below. We climbed the 350 feet in 12 minutes. Fascinating.

photo by Linda

Pisa - Seeing the Leaning Tower and Bapistry at sunset
Genoa - Walking the streets and being surprised by the artwork entrances to the numerous palaces (our mcmansion equivalent.)
Villefranche, France - The winding twisty roads and houses perched on the steep hillside. The Rue Obscura was well worth a look.
Barcelona - The timed fountains at night in front of the National Art Museum.
Of course there were countless interesting things to see. Fascinating doornobs, sunlight splashing on a home in Villefranche, a painter setting up his easel in front of the Imperial Forum in Rome, the sculptures in the Piazza Navona, an old man taking out his violin along a small street in Genoa.

It was a wonderful trip. And I got to share it with my family including my nephew and 4 nieces. Perfect.

Now time to get back to my flamingo piece.