June 27, 2021

During the Covid shutdown this past year (yes, we all feel like we totally lost a year, I know), some of my fellow artists told me they were too depressed to paint. For me it was an escape... I painted every day. It was how I got through the days -- we took a morning walk, I photographed the wonderful bird diversity in the nature preserve community where I live, and then used many of those photos as reference material for my paintings. In doing that, painting so often, I found that my process was evolving, and I found that painting the background, then working toward the points of interest, using the background as my "canvas toning" seemed to work pretty well. One where it worked particularly well was "Great Blue Flying in Winter", which I felt good about. It has sparked some interest, so I will definitely be printing a few (limited edition) giclées, since it may well sell and I'd like to keep a print myself! Both because I love the bird and because for me it represents a big step in my development as a painter.