Today's Study - A Nesting Hummingbird

I finished today's oil study, photographed it and was ready to post it when I realized I'd made a major mistake.  I'd painted a male broad-tailed hummingbird on the nest.  Oops.  That just doesn't happen as the male hummingbird leaves the incubating to the female.

I've lived in my house in Northern Arizona for 34 years where I see dozens of hummingbirds at my feeders, representing five different species.  For most of the years I've lived here, I've been looking for a hummingbird nest.  When my son was a kid we found one on an apple tree...but when we checked it again a few days later, it had been destroyed.  Perhaps by another bird - a jay or a crow?
Now my house is on the market and wouldn't you know it - this summer, there are three hummingbird nests within 100 feet of my house. 

186 - Nesting Hummingbird

5" x 7" oil study on board, unframed

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

SOLD

Yellow Fever

I painted the majority of this 20" x 16" oil in one sitting - then spent the next week looking at it, trying to figure out what else it needed.  I keep picking up the brush to add ground - and foreground - but have decided to leave it as is.  It's done.

"Yellow Fever"

20" x 16" oil on board

SOLD

One of the reasons I've been painting the 5" x 7" oil studies for my 75 for $75 project is to give me ideas for larger pieces.  The little owl painting is one of my studies that sold a month or two ago.  It inspired the larger (still unfinished) 12" x 9" owl with moon. I've still got to add the fence post the owl is sitting on, then it will be done.  As with the little studies, I'm not going to do much more detail on the owl. I like seeing the brush strokes - it gives it a more painterly feel.

5" x 7" Great Horned Owl, Oil study
SOLD

Not quite finished 'Vantage Point'

12" x 9" oil on board
This painting can be seen at Walt Horton Fine Art Gallery in Beaver Creek, Colorado. 

Today - An Oil Study of a Pukeko

Yesterday's study was a Common Moorhen, found in North America (and perhaps elsewhere?).  Today's study is a Pukeko, one of my favorite New Zealand birds.  The Pukeko (poo - keck - oh) is is a New Zealand icon.  In addition to seeing them in paddocks, estuaries and even alongside the road, tourist shops are loaded with pukeko souvenirs.  The bird is about the size of a large chicken.  They can fly long distances and also swim.  They eat mainly plant material which they hold parrot-fashion with one foot. There is a similar bird in the South Island called a Takahe - though it is flightless and much heavier.

185 - Pukeko

7" x 5" oil on board, unframed

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

SOLD

Today's Painting - A Cardinal

Today's oil study is a cardinal.  I've had a hard time working on my larger gallery paintings the last couple of weeks and decided it is because I've not been doing these morning oil studies.   I've done a couple of studies this week and the larger pieces are starting to come a little easier. Who knows why artists go through these spells?  I tell my students that you've got to work through it....if your brain thinks it can get away with 'not being in the mood to paint', it will pull this trick more often to get out of the studio.

Tomorrow's oil study may be a female peacock - we'll see!

183 - Cardinal

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

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

SOLD

A Crow - my second study for today

I've been working on paintings for Art for the Sangres, a one evening show (September 24th) in Westcliffe, Colorado, and having a really difficult time getting back into the swing of things.  I've been really unhappy with what I've been painting after being on a roll for months.  So what is the difference?

The only difference is that I've not been doing my morning 75 for $75 oil studies.  The studies seem to loosen me up and make me a better painter for the rest of the day.  I really hadn't stopped doing the studies - it just seems that other things were taking priority for the past two weeks.  So now I'm back to doing a little study first thing in the morning....hoping it'll make the bigger studio pieces come a little easier. 

I realized this morning that I've never painted a crow before - so this is the first.  As I was painting the study, I was reminded of the fish crows that I hear while painting on location in South Carolina.  They call back and forth to each other and sound exactly like they're having a conversation.

Crow #1:  uh - oh,  uh - oh!
Crow #2:  huh?

Crow #1: uh - oh!
Crow #2:  Oh!

The other night I watched a fabulous documentary, 'A Murder of Crows' (Netflix) about these highly intelligent birds.  It's a fascinating film that I really enjoyed.

 182 - Crow

7" x 5" oil study on board, unframed

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

SOLD

A Moose!

I did this little piece as a study for bigger moose paintings  - and because several people asked for mooses.  Hmm- what is plural for moose?  Mooses?  Meeses?  Or just moose?  I've scanned the image instead of photographing it and still can't get an entirely accurate image of it.  The body of the moose is more even - less blotchy than it appears here.

181 - Moose

5" x 7" oil study, unframed

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

SOLD