"Observer," Daily Painting # 31

"Observer," Available (click here)
Oils on Panel
8" by 8"

Always Shifting

Whenever I see these jewel like birds in the aviary near the entrance of the Wild Animal Park they perch briefly, maybe peck and forage briefly, cock their head about and fly off to investigate the intriguing place they spotted. This bird perched a bit longer than usual studying the canopy overhead before flying off with another of her species following. I wanted to capture that focused thoughtful gaze in this painting, as I don't often see paintings of birds that are more than displays of beauty. I hope I achieved that aim.

Sadly I'm unsure of this bird's species. I'm gonna have to start writing these down as I take reference photos! Next time I'm at the Wild Animal Park I'll check, but in the meantime if you recognize the species I'd love to know.


Next

I believe I will do another landscape. I have some lovely moody photos to take advantage of. If not then another addition to my Whole Piece series. I hope to get two paintings done in one day sometime this week as I missed yesterday for a very happy family event. Wish me luck.

"Merely a Herd of Sheep" (final)

Merely a Herd of Sheep
Mixed Media

Final Process
For this piece I wanted to add to the sense of foreboding by making the technique a bit more rough. I intentionally exposed the layering of papers and elements of the drawing in colored pencil sticks. I used angles within the composition and background elements in the image to increase the mood and add symbolism.

Here is the original post about the development of this idea: http://ambergoulet-art.blogspot.com/2010/07/hooded-sheep-disclaimer-this-post-is.html.  Now I am finally sharing the final illustration!