Two Studies for Today - Baby Quail & Red-winged Blackbirds

There's a storm coming with much colder temperatures and snow  :-(   so I had to tear myself away from the easel this morning to run errands.  But I did get my two 75 for $75's finished and photographed!  I can see that I'm straying away from the 'bird study' idea.  I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing - but for the moment, I'll see where it takes me.

The first study is of baby quail.  Many years ago I raised five baby Gambel's Quail from day old chicks.  Someone found the chicks huddled up against a big ol' toad on her patio...no sign of the parents.  As she watched, the toad suddenly decided it wanted baby quail for dinner.  Who would have guessed that a toad would eat a baby bird!   The baby was halfway down the toad's throat when she saved it.   She took all five babies to the local radio station and I ended up with them.  I didn't hear the toad story until months later - but had wondered why one of the baby quail had what seemed to be dry glue on his head.  Toad spit! 

I've since seen baby California Valley Quail and they looked exactly like these little guys.  I'm guessing that young Bobwhite look much the same. 

210 - Baby Quail

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

My second study for the day is of Red-winged Blackbirds.  Like the gull study that I did the other day, I painted little bird shapes with no detail, allowing the group of birds to have impact, rather than just one larger bird.  

211 - Red-winged Blackbirds

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Two oil studies for today, a loon and egret

I've had some emails saying, "but all your studies are sold"!  Actually, there are a few left - you can click here to see them - and I realize that you've got to click on each image to see if it is available.  FASO, my website company, used to put a red dot on the thumbnail as soon as it was marked SOLD.  I don't know what has happened to the red dot system - but I'll give FASO a call and ask.  UPDATE:  I called my website company and not only are the red dots back but the thumbnails are bigger!  Check it out!  Now you can see at a glance which paintings have sold.

To keep up with demand,  I can raise the price of the little studies - or paint more.  I'm really opposed to raising the price so I'm going to try to do two 75 for $75's a day. In time, I may go to an auction system (not Ebay!) but not yet.  So here are today's two studies! 
The first is a loon.  I resist painting loons because they sit so low in the water there's not much bird to paint,.  So in this first study,  I concentrated on interesting colors and brush work in the water.

 

 208 - Loon

SOLD

The second study of the day is an egret.  I've painted quite a few egrets for the 75/75 project so I tried completely different brushwork on this piece.  It looks detailed - and I confess I used a smaller brush - but it didn't take any longer.  I flared out the bristles on a #6 round watercolor brush to paint it - and rather like the effect.  It's softer.  I can see using this technique for more tonalistic pieces.  

209 - Egret

5" x 7" oil study on board, unframed
$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

A great article on my work and a new 5" x 7" oil study!

Today, Wildlife Art Journal released an extensive article on me and my work!  I'm really honored as it is a well-respected online magazine.  If you click on the link, you can read the article without subscribing.  Not sure how long it will be 'free' - perhaps just today.

Today's 5" x 7" oil study is of gulls.  I seem to be on a trend - painting smaller birds and more background.  If you'd like to see many of the other 5" x 7" oil studies that I've done for my 75 for $75 project, click on this link.  It will take you to the 75 for $75 page on my website.  There are still half a dozen or more available.  I've had to delete a lot of the sold 75's - just no room on my website!

205 - Gulls

5" x 7" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Today's Oil Study - Flying Cattle Egret

I've been wanting to figure out how to paint fields of green grass without rendering...so decided to paint cattle egret in flight.  They're seen from coast to coast, but I often see them out in the middle of the desert at the California/Arizona border in Blythe and Brawley, both agricultural areas where it is not uncommon to see mixed groups of cattle egret and white-faced ibis. 

I like this piece for its simplicity.  I'm so used to painting great or snowy egret, I just shortened the necks and legs - and voila, cattle egret!

204 - Flying Cattle Egret

5" x 7" oil on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Today's Oil Study - Vultures! (but I'm keeping it)

This little vulture painting demonstrates exactly why I do these little oil studies.  I wouldn't have done a larger painting of vultures...afraid it would never sell.  But it doesn't matter if a study doesn't sell because I don't have much time invested in these little guys (a half-hour in this one).  Also, for this piece, I experimented using a pre-painted/dry board - an old 75/75 that didn't work.  I liked the background color so I saved the board and used it for this piece.  I've worked on boards that have been stained a color but never on thicker paint that is completely dry.  I usually work completely alla prima.  It was fun working on dry paint, allowing a little bit of the under painting to show through.  (the gray in the bottom right hand corner). For the background texture, I used thick paint on a large brush and dragged the brush edge over the board.  I also put the subject matter smack-dab in the middle of the board.  Why not!  It's only a study.  But I think in this case, it works because the eye goes to the large wing rather than to the center of the vulture group.

So this is why I do these little studies....I can be brave and boldly go where I've never been before. If it doesn't work, I can always turp it out.  If it does work, then I've got information I can use on larger, studio oils. 

I like this vulture study and am wondering if it will work as a larger piece, but perhaps it will lose the spontaneity if larger.  So for the moment, I'm not going to sell it.  With a tweak or two, it could be one of my two entries into Birds in Art 2012. 

203 - Vultures

5" x 7" oil study on board

Not for sale at this time

Today's Oil Study - A House Wren

Today's oil study is a little house wren..  I know spring is here when the house wrens sit in my apple tree and sing their hearts out.  I have a couple of nesting boxes that are occupied every year.  I watch the parents hop in and out the box feeding the young but I always seem to miss seeing them leave.

The paint on this study is pretty thick in some spots so it will take longer than usual to dry.  It might be a couple of weeks before it is dry enough to mail.

 

202 - House Wren

7" x 5" oil on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Study for Thanksgiving Day - A Flying Hummingbird

I intended to post this yesterday but I had 12 people for Thanksgiving dinner. By the time the dishwasher was loaded and everyone had gone, I was ready to enjoy a glass of wine and call it quits for the day.

This is my post for yesterday - Thanksgiving Day.  It's a ruby-throated (eastern US) or a broad-tailed (western US) hummingbird.  There's very little difference between the two when you're not painting detail.

201 - Flying Hummingbird

5" x 7" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Today's Study - Red-Tailed Hawk

Today's study is way too detailed for me - but no time to do another!  My goal for the 75/75 project is to do loose studies, avoiding detail.  Oh well....

200 - Red-tailed Hawk

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Today's Study - A Flying Osprey

Today's 7" x 5" study is a flying osprey.  Every now and then I see one flying past my studio window as it cruises over the creek that is about 100 feet from my house.  It seems that osprey are always associated with larger bodies of water so it seems a little strange to see an osprey in red rock country hanging around a creek.  But there are large lakes on the rim above the canyon where I live, so perhaps the osprey is just doing a day-trip for a change of scenery.

 199 - Osprey

7" x 5" oil on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD

Today's Study - A Burrowing Owl

It's been a while since I've painted a burrowing owl.  They're cute little birds, looking a bit like a kid's wind-up toy.  I am now officially 'caught up'.  Will try to get a few extra done and in reserve for Thanksgiving and weekends so that I can post a study every day.  There'll be a new one up tomorrow.

198 - Burrowing Owl

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

$75 plus $6 shipping within the U.S.

SOLD