Azure Flycatcher Portrait

Wednesday, April 30th:

Getting very close to finishing this small portrait of an Azure Flycatcher. I work from the general to the specific, an approach that works well with any subject, but is perfect for birds, especially small ones.

Today I started work with a 3rd value greenish-blue (2.5B) at the highest possible chroma. Using my favorite, and secret, brush and medium combination to emphasize all the darkest feather forms.

Once they were in place I moved to a 4th value mix of the same blue, but at the 8th chroma, and turned all the feather forms that are curving in the space. (See the lower wing forms, etc.)

Then I turned to a dark yellow-red at the highest chroma to bring some more form and dimension to the feet and the perch.

Perhaps two more sessions, or one epic one, to go.

Wednesday, April 23rd:

This Azure Flycatcher, shown here in progress, is the bird painting that changed my direction, completely (sorta!)

I took a bird painting workshop with Grant Perry because I had painted a couple of birds and found them to be very difficult to capture.

I'm not interested in approximate painting. I'm very interested in approaching the description of physical qualities and characteristics that signal deeper truths about my subject.

Grant's workshop was very helpful in giving me a way to start that approach, even though we paint quite differently.