Pelican Profile

I decided to do one more Pelican.  I had taken this photo quite a while ago--a Brown Pelican in breeding plumage.  The thing that interested me this time was the contrast between very bright and very dark.  The fiery orange of the feathers on the back of his neck jump out against the blackness of the background.  The Pelican transitions from sharp detail to almost disappearing into that dark space.  This is a small piece--only 12" x 9" unframed.

Old Oak with Downy Woodpeckers

I spent quite a few months on this latest painting.  My initial idea was of the tree, and I thought a lot about painting just the tree--for once no bird.  But it's a funny thing: it just wasn't right without adding the bird.  Here there are two Downy Woodpeckers.  The red speck on the back of the head of the male is the only bright spot, and the female is almost hidden.  This painting is in the same style as my previous painting, Nuthatches in Pepper Tree.  It's a variation on the Japanese woodblock nature prints, with the mottled gold background and the graphic outlining of the Oak tree.    

I think a lot about my choice to paint birds.  It probably limits my appeal to the main stream art market, but on the other hand, it is also the one subject that makes me feel a passion for what I paint.  I guess if I have to choose, I'll take the passion.