Feathers in Flight

My latest work consists of trading off between a chisel and a paintbrush. I've occupied my mornings with a cool slate of marble, and my afternoons have yielded quiet strokes of the brush. 

This is my second largest painting to date, right behind Indivisible, and I've had fun playing with larger-than-life flourishes coming off this bird-in-flight. 

I'm using oil paint to create my bird. I love the way oil reflects light and life. I've found oil painting to be such a powerful medium in that it brings to life what once did not exist.

 You'll notice I'm using a funny looking brush to paint the flourishes of my bird. I've used this technique before in that I mix together pinstriping paint to create fluid lines. I use a squirrel hair pinstriping brush that gives me the proper control I need to make perfect, flowing strokes. This has become a frequented technique I use within my art as much of my style incorporates the traditional calligraphic off-hand flourishing, often times at a large scale.

For anyone wondering what kind of bird I'm painting, it is the White Breasted Nuthatch, a small songbird found in North America. I've loved depicting this bird in a unique flying position and bringing to life his blue-hued feathers.

This piece is coming together and will soon be finished, available for purchase as a limited edition in the online gallery! Details of sizes and pricing will be announced upon completion. But before that happens, I'll be painting on the dots along the flourishes and looking through a microscope to paint the final details of the feathers...

 

 

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