Light on Light

 

acrylic on panel, 12" x 12"

This simple study of a snowy egret on sand was trickier than I expected it to be.  The subtle color gradations were problematic because of the drying properties of acrylic paint, in which some colors darken slightly as they dry.  Still, I'm happy with the overall effect.

Egret in Flight

acrylic on canvasboard, 12" x 12"

Here's another study that somehow slipped through the cracks and was forgotten for a while.  I painted it early in the year and rediscovered it the other day as I was going through ALL my paintings, cataloguing, labeling and boxing ahead of my move to New Mexico in January.  I had wanted to do a series of birds in flight, but that idea got shoved to the back burner, as often happens with me due to the varying demands on my time.  I see myself in this bird now.  

Snowy Egret Portrait in Profile

oil on canvas, 12" x 12"

This is the second in a series of bird portraits I've had in mind to do, the first being Flamingo Portrait in Profile, which I posted to this blog on January 14 of this year.  For this portrait, I was experimenting with a tool I recently purchased, called a brayer, which I will hopefully learn how to use with more skill in an upcoming workshop with a fantastic painter, Lindsey Kustusch.  A brayer is a rubber roller typically used for printmaking and to achieve decorative effects on surfaces.

Perchance to Dream

oil on canvas, 24" x 12"

This painting came together more like a sculpture than a painting, in that I painted the negative space first and gradually whittled it down to the bird, and the rock on which the egret stands somehow morphed into a fish, as if in a dream.  There is an ethereal quality to this piece that I find quite appealing.

Birds of Ellis Creek

acrylic on canvas, 12" x 24"

This is just a small sampling of birds to be found at Ellis Creek on any given day, a local wildlife sanctuary that I frequently visit.  On this particular day in spring and after a good rain, there were a number of egrets, along with the usual swans, Canadian geese, and even a great blue heron adding to the magic of the place.  I love Ellis Creek!

Blowin' in the Wind

oil on canvas, 14" x 14"

A snowy egret on a ledge above the sea on a blustery day.

Egret at Ellis Creek

oil on canvasboard, 6" x 12"

I started on this palette knife painting from a photo I had taken at Ellis Creek, but had to finish it from memory when my computer crashed last Tuesday.  It had just rained after a long dry spell and there was a carpet of mustard flowers in the mid-distance that I just loved, not to mention the beautiful snowy egret standing in the shallow water.