Cardinal and Hummingbird in Progress

Painting the Northern Cardinal, Session #3

The Cardinal session was spent refining the paint brush and roughing in the feet.  

Black Chinned Hummingbird, Session #4

The Hummingbird session was used to glaze the saucer reflection.  This will require a few more sessions.

Painting the Cardinal in Progress

Painting the Northern Cardinal

This was session #2 with this painting.  Most attention was paid to the bird using glazes to build the reds.

Dories and A Hummingbird in Progress

Session #3 for both paintings.  I've repositioned the dories and lightened the background in the hummingbird.  

Dories

Black-Chined Hummingbird

Works in Progress

One new painting, The Northern Cardinal, has been added to my works in progress. The other three below are in the second session of progress.   

Painting the Northern Cardinal

Black Chinned Hummingbird with Baba's Espresso Cup

Painting the Eastern Bluebird

Three Dories, Kennebunkport

Painting the Blue Bird, A Work in Progress

Painting the Blue Bird, Oil on Panel, 10"x10"

After looking at yesterday's work, I decided to reposition the head of the bird.  With this position, I can have the bird looking at the viewer.  This position also changed the wing and tail.  

Painting the Blue Bird, A Work in Progress

Painting the Blue Bird, Oil on Panel, 10"x10"

I am at last back in the studio after spending the last six weeks in Italy.  The expected trip was to be until April 6.  However, we were caught in the Italian Covid-19 outbreak and needed to leave early. 

As I've been pondering props to add interest to the bird paintings, I came upon the idea of having them perch on a paint brush dipped in the main color of the bird.  I think of it as saying, "Hey.  This is a painting."  As I finished today, thought, I was wishing the bird's head was turned toward the viewer.  

Nuthatch

Nuthatch, 2020, Oil on Panel, 10" x 8"

When I first began painting birds, they were rendered loosely as was the ground,  Quite often the ground would reflect colors from the bird which could be loose feathers or not.  Gradually I moved away from that to a subtle ground that would set off a very tight detailed bird.  This piece gives me the loose ground area with the tight bird, an attempt to marry abstraction with realism.