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Portrait of a Hawk (acrylic)
Read more: Portrait of a Hawk (acrylic)I think that hawks are beautiful, and this is one that I often see hanging out off a dirt road going to the beach. I wanted to capture the beautiful eyes in this portrait.
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Portrait of a Bird Lover (acrylic)
Read more: Portrait of a Bird Lover (acrylic)A few weeks ago, I saw this man walking around with two birds perched on his arm and shoulder. I knew I had to paint him, asked permission to take his photo, and he agreed. Tom now has a portrait that shows his love for his birds, and gave me permission to post this on…
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Shiny Cormorant: Acrylic Painting
Read more: Shiny Cormorant: Acrylic PaintingI had fun painting this cormorant; after I created his body using a mix of ultramarine and umber to create a rich black, I used gold paint mixed with sienna and blue to create the shiny feathers on his back. I also used some opalescent paint in the water for a bit of extra shine.…
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Family Outing: Acrylic Geese Painting
Read more: Family Outing: Acrylic Geese PaintingThis summer, I am exploring adding more color to my paintings. While the photo doesn’t do it justice, this one has a lot of cerulean and warm washes of sienna and some greens, and even alizarin – all colors that you can see reflected in the ever-changing waters. It was fun to paint what is…
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Egret Flying Over Lake Huron: Acrylic
Read more: Egret Flying Over Lake Huron: AcrylicI am playing a bit more with color this summer, because Lake Huron is beautiful, and has constantly changing colors. This is based on a recent sunset, and I added alizarin and Hansa yellow to my usual palette, as well as a touch of orange, to capture the sunset highlight. Egrets are beautiful birds, and…
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Sandhill Cranes: Acrylic Painting
Read more: Sandhill Cranes: Acrylic PaintingI love sandhill cranes, and am always awed when I see them gather in the grassy marshes. This painting reflects how these beautiful birds make me feel. I used my normal palette of earth tones.
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A Year of Birds: January 2022
Read more: A Year of Birds: January 2022I will be posting photos taken throughout the year in this online journal. This is a bitter, very cold winter even for northern Michigan. I am feeding the Chickadees and Jays daily, and they seem grateful. The chickadees have become quite tame, and will let me near. I am hoping to teach them to feed…
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Chickadee on the Well: acrylic painting
Read more: Chickadee on the Well: acrylic paintingAs a Michigan artist, one thing I have learned to paint is snow in various lights. This is a painting of a chickadee, sitting on a friend’s snow-covered well cover. I did get a bit experimental, using alizarin crimson in some of the snow shadows. Otherwise, I used my normal palette. I love to watch…
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First Signs of Spring: Acrylic Painting
Read more: First Signs of Spring: Acrylic PaintingLast weekend, I went birding with a good friend. It was a warm day for North Michigan (as in, the first day above 10 degrees F in weeks). I told her, “I doubt we’ll see any egrets or herons yet, it’s too cold.” Well, in one of the marshes that has just started thawing, I…
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Nuthatch in the Tree: Acrylic painting
Read more: Nuthatch in the Tree: Acrylic paintingLast week, I heard the most amazing laughter coming from the trees. I searched, and found the source: a little nuthatch, chuckling away. This painting was done to highlight how agile these birds are. This was painted using my typical palette of ultramarine blue, titanium white, burnt umber, burnt sienna and yellow ochre.
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Sparrows on a Fence
Read more: Sparrows on a FenceI painted this in acrylic a few months ago. My emphasis was on the shadows and lights. I used my typical palette to create this painting.
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Beachcombers: Acrylic Painting
Read more: Beachcombers: Acrylic PaintingIn the warmer months, I love to go rock hunting (and bird watching!) with friends in the evenings. This painting was inspired by one such hike last fall when we were searching for pudding stones.