It’s that time of year again, when I start painting ornaments to distribute at galleries and stores. It’s fun, and while I don’t make a ton of money from this, it’s great PR – I put one of my cards with each one. I paint the ornaments based on bird paintings I have done, thatContinue reading “Holiday Ornament time again….”
Tag Archives: bird
A Year of Birds: March
It is March, and the weather is finally starting to warm up a bit – it even goes into the mid-40’s on a sunny day! The snow is starting to melt, and the landscape is slowly turning from white to brown. Locals are used to the “spring slush” in which back roads turn into muddy,Continue reading “A Year of Birds: March”
Migrating Sanderling: acrylic painting
A couple of weeks ago, when walking on the beach, I came across a group of sanderlings migrating south. One was exceptionally cute, and this painting is the result. As usual, I painted this with a limited palette of Tit. white, ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, burnt ochre, burnt sienna and a touch of payne’s gray.Continue reading “Migrating Sanderling: acrylic painting”
Mute Swans on the River
I love the beauty of swans, and when I saw these two on a nearby river, I couldn’t resist painting them. I hope you enjoy their elegant grace as much as I do! As usual, my palette was limited: titanium white, burnt umber, cadmium yellow, ultramarine blue and cerulean blue. The swans can be seenContinue reading “Mute Swans on the River”
Egret in the Marsh
I have spent a lot of time walking near, around and in the marshes of North Michigan. This is the habitat where black flies and mosquitoes like to live – but it is all worth it to catch sight of an egret like this one! This painting is based on one that hangs out inContinue reading “Egret in the Marsh”
Juncos Under the Pines: Acrylic Painting
Juncos are small birds that are ground feeders. I often see them under the pines here in North Michigan, and decided to paint a pair of males searching for food in early spring. I used a very limited palette for this painting: ultramarine blue, burnt umber, burnt sienna, yellow ochre, sap green and titanium white.Continue reading “Juncos Under the Pines: Acrylic Painting”
American Goldfinch: Colored Pencil
I have been observing finches and taking photos of them the past few weeks. I love finches because they add a spot of bright sunshine yellow to the edge of the woods or any other spot they visit.
Tufted Titmouse: acrylic painting
The titmouse is one of my favorite birds; I love the little tuft on top of their heads. This is a recently acrylic that I just completed.
Clay Bas Relief Heron
I decided to try learning bas relief sculpture during the holidays. I still haven’t learned to create the clay support yet, but decided to create a Great Blue Heron in clay. This is my first attempt at bas relief; it was fun! Well, I have a start on it; I will update on my progressContinue reading “Clay Bas Relief Heron”
How to paint an Egret in acrylics: Lesson 2
In the previous post, I shared how I start an acrylic bird painting. In this lesson, I will show the next steps. Next, I start refining my lights and darks, and mid-tones, correcting where needed. I use mainly the palette I mentioned in lesson 1: titanium white, burnt umber, burnt sienna, ultramarine blue, payne’s grey,Continue reading “How to paint an Egret in acrylics: Lesson 2”
Wood Thrush
Wood thrushes are beautiful birds that like to nest in high trees (therefore, near woodlands). This painting is based on one I saw a few weeks ago at a local aviary. I painted this in oils, using a limited palette (ultramarine blue, burnt sienna, burnt umber, cad yellow, titanium white, sap green0
Getting Ready for Christmas (early)
Because last year, I had trouble keeping up with the demand for hand-painted bird ornaments, I decided to start early this year. Today, I started painting the first ones: I sold a bunch of these last year through Wild Birds Unlimited locally; at craft fairs and by commission. They are fun to do! I’m hopingContinue reading “Getting Ready for Christmas (early)”