Opening tomorrow

I haven't posted a new blog in quite a while.  I finished "Sonny Boy", a nine month project, and last month completed "Winter".  

Winter is actually the name of the White Pelican I painted who lives at WildCare, but the color and feel of the painting reflects the name as well.  A beautiful bird with a gentle spirit.  The painting will be on view at Pelican Studio in Point Reyes Station.

I've been preparing for my show at Pelican Studio for the past month.  Pelican Studio is now occupying the space where William Lester Gallery had been for over 10 years.  I sat in my studio today and wondered if the rain would keep everyone away from the event tomorrow.

I have two new works to think about.  Again WildCare gave me the inspiration for a new work of a Peregrine Falcon, set against a billowing, clouded sky.  And the next is another Great Egret. 

Moving On

I've been told that if you can't update your blog at least every two weeks, it gets too stale. Well, how stale can it be after eight months? Very stale.

But finally I have finished my painting of "Sonny Boy". Maybe it was the complexity of the feather patterns. Or perhaps the color was just too strong for me to deal with all at once. All I know, is that this painting took an extremely long time to complete. But I am happy with my "Sonny Boy", and hope it does justice to the original Rooster.

So now I am moving on to other birds. A beautiful White Pelican and later a Peregrine Falcon. Both are residents at WildCare.

So what have I been working on for the past few months?

And why does it take so long to get these paintings done?  

Well, early this year I got the desire to paint a Rooster.  I think I needed to play with the color and find a mate for my "Tuscan Chicken" (see my limited editions).

I found a bold beautiful red one in Point Reyes Station .  His name is Sonny Boy, owned by Bonnie Perry.  With great luck, he was willing to pose for me, while Bonnie kept the other Rooster, an Araucana from sneaking up from behind.

I thought I had it made, but that was three months ago, and here I am still working with my little brushes, building up my color and trying to get the bird off the ground.

I don't know why it takes me so long.  The composition came along pretty quickly, but the details, oh the details.  Rendering the chest feathers has been a real challenge.  And he needed a foreground.  I found some great grasses whose green seems to go well against the reds and rusts of the bird.  

So every day I work.  sometimes a lot, sometimes a little.  Defining feathers, delineating grass.  Trying to make the balance between the two work.

Welcome

Thanks for visiting my blog. Please visit my website to see my paintings and limited edition prints of wildlife http://banthien.com/