ARTWORK: A COLLECTION OF BIRDS

For my Dad's 50th birthday, I did a three part painting of birds for him. Here you will see 2/3 of the piece, because the third picture has gone AWOL. I have done quite a few paintings and drawings of birds and while I have found them to be interesting and beautiful subjects, they also are wonderful subjects to actually paint. Sometimes with painting, you have to work really hard and sit staring at a canvas for hours to make something pop or connect right. What I've found with birds is that the loose, quick strokes (similar to movements made when sketching rather than painting) make these little guys come to life in a way that I find rather charming.