Natures First Green is Gold - Bird #64

Finished!  As much as I loved painting this one... I do have to admit that I am very happy to be finished.  The title for this painting is from a favourite poem of mine by Robert Frost:

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay. 

 I am not sure why this poem kept coming to my mind as I was painting this one, there was just something about the flowers and the gold stamens.  To emphasize the gold of the painting... I even added a touch of gold watercolour paint to the stamens and the branch. 

 Natures First Green is Gold
Photo Reference:  Alan and Elaine Wilson

approximately 8" x 6" watercolour on paper© 2012
Favourite Details

Strike a Pose - Bird #63

All finished, now all that is left to do is varnish (I love the look of varnished watercolours), frame, and deliver.  I loved painting this one...  so much so I have already started looking for another loon to paint.

Strike a Pose
Photo Reference:  Alan and Elaine Wilson

6" x 6" watercolour on paper© 2012

Quiet Time - Bird #62

I was contemplating painting a snowy scene (it is December), but with all the rain and warm weather out my direction... it is looking like it will be a green Christmas and not a white one.  So...  I thought I would paint something a little more 'springy'.  The picture is a little washed out, but in real life the greens and gold are more vivid.

Quiet Time

5" x 5" watercolour © 2011 

Here Comes the Night - Bird #61

Painted a finch today...  felt like experimenting on the background, looking for a more abstracty look so tossed in some rubbing alcohol and salt.  I'm pretty happy with it.... though, I think I could have pushed the abstract-ness of it a little more. 

Here Comes the Night

5" x 5" watercolour © 2011 

Just As Long As We Got Each Other - Bird #60

Taking a short break from oils while they dry to work on a quick little wintery chickadee painting.  The branches of the tree turned out a little darker than I hoped... but the touch of sparkle from the luminescent watercolours make up for it (I think).  It adds just the perfect amount of shimmer to the branches.

 Just As Long As We Got Each Other

6" x 6" watercolour © 2011 

Wood Duck Drake - Bird #59

I thought I was finished, but then I noticed a few things that were bothering me about this painting so I made some ever so slight changes.  Did a little more work on th eye and I added a few overall washes of colour to the body (both on the duck and his reflection).  Now... I am happy to say I am finished.

 Wood Duck Drake

10" x 8" watercolour on aquabord © 2011  

 

On the Lighter Side - Bird #58

A second version of the painting I finished the other day... this time a lighter background and the resulting image is completely different.  I don't know which one is my favourite.  All the colours used between the two paintings are the same (including the slight touch of white to recapture a couple of lost highlights).

 "On the Lighter Side..." 2.5" x 3.5" watercolour  © 2011 

Inquisitive - Bird #57

Taking a small break from the wood duck painting to paint one of two titmouse portraits.  The reason for "one of two" is that this was originally suppose to have a light background but I wasn't happy with it so I turned it into a dark background.  As a result, there will be a second painting with this pose with a completely different background.  It will be interesting to see how different these two paintings will be with same posing bird.

 "Inquisitive" 2.5" x 3.5" watercolour  © 2011 

Looking Ahead - Bird #56

Just a quick little painting today. Haven't had much time for painting the last couple of weeks (between work and winterizing the yard). I hope to resume some what more regular posts and paintings in the near future.

 Looking Ahead 6" x 4" watercolour  © 2011 

Season's Change - Bird #55

Taking a break from the drake duck to paint a quick little picture of my favourite bird... the chickadee.  The weather person was talking tonight of the possibility of *gasp* snow showers this weekend!  So...  I thought I would paint a little bit of a wintery scene... just to get used to the snowy look.  Hopefully no snow showers appear... I still have stuff in my garden!!

Season's Change 5" x 5" watercolour  © 2011 Photo Reference kindly provided by Alan and Elaine Wilson

Sunday Morning Stroll - Bird #54

Finally finished!! Now... have to wait until a new order of ampersand aquabord arrives before I can do some more of these. In the mean time I will be working on some of my incompleted works in progress.

Sunday Morning Stroll 10" x 8" watercolour on aquabord © 2011 Photo Reference kindly provided by Alan and Elaine Wilson  Favourite Details 

The Take Off - Bird #53

Is it July already? My goodness... where did June go?

I finished my loon painting and already got the frame ordered and on its way. Now just need to figure out where to hang it. Please excuse the poor photograph (bad light and a laptop that doesn't let me see the proper contrast.... ) I'll try to take a better picture of the painting in the morning.



The Take Off
10" x 8" watercolour on aquabord
© 2011

Photo Reference kindly provided by Alan and Elaine Wilson

Spring Fever - Bird #52

Not much painting done this weekend, but holey smokes did I get a lot of yard work done. The forecast for the next week is nothing but rain... rain... rain... all the way at least until the weekend. I figured I can lots of painting done then. Though, I did manage to finish this guy. I struggled a bit with the greens for the pansy and a little on the background. Unless there is a trick I am missing, I find laying down washes on aquabord very tricky sometimes.



Spring Fever
4" x 4" watercolour on aquabord
© 2011

Patiently Waiting for Spring - Bird #51

It has been a while since I've worked on a bird, so I thought I would give this guy a whirl while waiting for the paint to dry on my apple painting. We had a taste of spring on Friday, then Saturday the cold and some very nasty winds snapped me back from my daydreams of spring to the reality of winter. Soon... Soon...


Patiently Waiting for Spring
4" x 4" watercolour on aquabord
Photo Reference kindly provided by Alan and Elaine Wilson
© 2011

Tomorrow's Bluebird - Bird #50

I haven't been posting much this past week, but I have been busy... honest! There have been a couple larger oil paintings on my easel and a couple of smaller bird paintings as well. This little bluebird is done... The background complements the blue on the bird very nice, though I think a lighter blue-ish background may have looked better. Perhaps I'll have to paint another one just to see if that is true.



Tomorrow's Bluebird
4" x 6" watercolour
Photo Reference kindly provided by Alan and Elaine Wilson
© 2011

Spring Garden - Bird #49

After all the snow yesterday that was shoveled off the driveway... I thought a little spring colour might be in order. Fresh off the easel (still very wet) a chickadee portrait with one of my most favourite spring flowers.


Spring Garden
5" x 7" oil on gessoboard
© 2011

Portrait of a Chickadee - Bird #48

My first completed painting of the new year... and my favourite bird to!


Portrait of a Chickadee
4" x 4" watercolour
© 2011

Autumn Colours - Bird #47

I know this little guy is a little out of season... I was cleaning up my desk/easel area and came across him... Besides a little colour in between snow storms is always a welcomed sight!


Autumn Colours
2.5" x 3.5" watercolour
© 2010

Night Comes - Bird #46

Another little chickadee tonight while Indy dries....


Night Comes
4" x 6" watercolour
© 2010

Snowy Perch - Bird #45

Indy's portrait is drying (added another layer to the background....) so I thought I would paint up a little chickadee winter scene.


Snowy Perch
4" x 6" watercolour
© 2010