It’s snowing a lot today, and the Blue Jays are feeding on corn that gets scattered on the ground, as well as seeds the other birds drop from the three seed feeders on our front porch. I enjoy their color and curiosity, in spite of how aggressive they are. So, this inspired a painting:
The blues were done with a mixture of cobalt blue, ultramarine and cerulean blue in varying proportions; the darks were raw umber, ultramarine blue and a hint of black. The whites were a mixture of white with grays from ultramarine blue and burnt sienna, with the highlights titanium white with a hint of yellow ochre and cad. yellow light.
In the winter, if water is iced over, jays will often peck and crack the ice, letting themselves drink; this also opens up water for smaller birds, so they do help the others out! I love their inquisitive looks, which I tried to capture here.
5 responses to “Birds of Michigan: Blue Jay”
That’s a great painting. Blue Jays are wonderful birds with beautiful colors. I love how detailed you were on the Blue Jay.
Thank you. I really love jays, too, and enjoy doing representational art that shows off the beauty of these birds. I hope it’s not snowing too much down in Fort Wayne right now, like it is here….
We are getting some snow but not that much.
Beautiful painting of the Blue Jay! Love the foggy background. Thanks for commenting on my painting. I love finding artists to follow. 🙂
Thank you for liking my new post! I love your bird paintings and it’s nice to see the birds you have in Michigan, some are very different to the ones we have in Britain. Your blue Jay is so brightly coloured and you have captured it beautifully!