Meadowlark

I have loved Meadowlarks since I was a boy. My mom and dad had little songs and sayings they would sing whenever we heard a Meadowlark singing that I still remember today.

In this composition, the blue-violet background compliments the yellow-orange of the lark's breast and head feathers.           

Cedar Wax Wing

While visiting my parents the other day, they had me go through some of my old stuff, mostly papers and books. I came across a report I had done on "Birds" when I was in elementary school probably 5th or 6th grade. As I browsed through it, I was impressed with my artwork ... not to brag but it was pretty good! I had totally forgotten about that report, but the memories came flooding back as I read on. One of my favorite birds back then was the Cedar Wax Wing, so it was fun to create a new version of this beautiful bird!

Cherry Blossom Cardinal

Cardinals are rare around our neck of the woods, but we saw one last year in our back yard. I have painted a few of them through the years and they never cease to amaze me with their vibrant red color!           

Curious Quail

We live in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains and have quail in our yard nearly every day during the summer. They are curious little game birds and fun to watch!           

Catch and Eat

Many times while fishing our local streams and rivers, I have the privilege of seeing and interacting with ospreys. They are fearless and very territorial. And as far as their fishing skills go, they are unmatched in their ability to put food "on the table"!

A few years ago, Maureen also had a close encounter with an osprey. She was visiting at a friend's mountain cabin and noticed an osprey's nest in a near by tree. She wanted to get a closer look at the nest and take a photo, but before she could get much closer, one of the parent ospreys came swooping down and "buzzed" her within inches. She got the message ... she had entered the "too close for comfort" zone! I have seen ospreys actually chase off a bald eagle because they were fishing in "their" stretch of the river! It looked like an F-16 attacking a cargo plane ... pretty impressive.

Anyway, I used Maureen's experience and combined that with what I had seen and came up with this painting ... hope you enjoy it! Acrylic on canvas (gallery wrapped) 24"x18".

Sittin' on the dock of the bay ...

My students in our group painting class wanted to do something a little different this month ... something nautical, something to do with boat harbors, etc. So this is what I came up with for our subject painting.