Blue Eyes

The weather took a bit of a turn today, a cold snap I think you might say.  I had to close the windows and turn the heat on in the house.  I must say that made me a bit sad.  Perhaps that is what led me back to the Florida vacation pictures that I took in March.   Those pelicans, I got some really good photos of them.  And better yet, I got to study them closely.  They just sat VERY still and while they seemed somewhat cautious, they pretty much let me move in close and get acquainted with them.  I really enjoyed seeing their eyes up close.  Crystal blue eyes with pink surrounding them.  So pretty.  I painted a close up of this one.  The long beak and silver back was interesting, but I really wanted to show the eye.  I like him.

This painting is for sale in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/188124348

 

Betty

Thank you for joining me in this little slice of my life

Heart full of soul

     I grew up with the kitchen radio on the local AM station broadcasting stock reports, obituaries and the swapshop.  Mom and Dad had control of the radio, so I was driving before I really got into music.  My husband still can't believe I had never heard of the Yardbirds, his favorite British group in 1964.  First of all, I was only 9 years old in 1964.  I was playing with baby dolls and jacks.  I am finally into Yardbirds.  Well, birds...watercolor birds.  The Yardbirds had a hit "Heart full of soul".   I think my bird has a heart full of soul too.  Look at that eye, he's got soul. 

Painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/187289004/

 

Betty

Thanks for sharing in this little slice of my life

In a row

When I am in Florida I love to watch the birds.   I know there is a huge amount of beautiful blue water, endless sky, awesome boats, swaying palm trees and gaggles of interesting people but I like to watch the birds.  I am so impressed by their calm passing of time, just sitting.  They do a little grooming, take a nap, squawk some, but mostly just sit.  Just sitting in the sun.  I love to see several of them occupying the same railing or deck.  They sit for a while then calmly fly away, moving on to the next spot where they sit.  I painted this watercolor from a photo I took in Florida recently.  It gives me a very peaceful feeling.  I hope you enjoy it too. 

Painting is for sale in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/187114790/

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Country Cousin

Country Cousin is another sweet little seagull painted from my friend Jared's photos.   Soft grays and browns of the seagull against the soft aqua and old gold gives this painting a vintage feel much like Cottage gull that I painted recently.   I think they look like they must be at least cousins!  I hope you enjoy these sweet birds.

Painting is available for sale in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/186967665

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing this little slice of my life

Gotta love a good goose

Sometimes a goose is a bad thing.  This time the goose is a good thing.  Gary Richardson took a fantastic photograph of a white goose.  Thank you, Gary for letting me paint this beauty.  I see geese on the lake often, but I have never seen one like this.   With some research I learned that this is a White Chinese Goose.  The snowy white feathers, blue eye with orange rim and awesome orange bill with a large knob makes this guy OUTSTANDING in my book.  I am pretty sure I will paint this bird again, so be alert, you never know when you might get your next goose!  

This painting is for sale in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/186237321

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Cottage Seagull

Well, what a sweet little seagull came to my house!  This is from another one of my friend Jared's photos.  Thank you Jared.  Something about this little guy gives him a "cottage" feel to me.  My soft aqua background with some old gold behind the grays and browns of the bird is so peaceful.  I think he nearly has an antique look, vintage at least.  I have painted quite a few seagulls, and each one is different.  I like this one.
 

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/185800113

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Perfect subject - Diver

 I got some new watercolor paint this week.  I had not gotten any in a while.  I bought tons when I first started using watercolors and realized I actually just use about 4 tubes 90% of the time.  But sometime you just need a treat.  I ordered a red-orange and a blue-green in a brand that I really like.  Red-orange and blue-green were my favorites in the crayola box in grade school, those colors are still favorites of mine today.  It was a gift when I looked at some photographs from my friend Jared who is currently living in Florida.  The perfect subject for my new red-orange was in the photographs!  I even snuck some blue-green in the white of the bird.  Thanks Jared Whitehead!

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/185727771

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Double take

Another Florida pelican, I love those big birds.  One evening there were several pelicans swimming near a dock I was on, the water was very still.  I did not realize what fantastic reflections I got til I studied the photographs.  I was blown away when I saw the reflection of the pelican's eyes.  This is great fun for me!

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184513123

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Just another day in Paradise

Lounging in the sun on a dock surrounded by water, palm trees and sand, that is pretty much paradise in my book.   Well, this guy does it everyday I expect.  I photographed him recently and could hardly wait to paint him.  He makes me happy!

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/184060606
 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life



On Ice

Ok, yes, my first painting from my Florida trip is dead fish.  But not just dead fish, beautiful dead fish!  A trip to the fresh seafood market for supper one evening was a trememdous treat for me!   It rated right up there at the top of the list.  The fish were beautiful.  The red snappers all in a row on ice were my favorite.  Shiny scales and those indigo blue eyes, well it might not be normal, but I loved them.  Rest assured I have lots of birds waiting to be painted, but the fish on ice were first.  I am thinking I will paint red snappers again.

This painting is available in my Etsy Shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/183958911

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

 

 

Little Woodpecker

 I usually paint larger birds, but I couldn't pass up this little guy.  My friend Dave took the photograph of this Downy Woodpecker.  The Downy Woodpecker is the smallest woodpecker in North America.  Sweet little guy!

This painting is available in my Etsy Shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/180958694

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Strength in the face of a storm

 According to legend, the ibis is the last sign of wildlife to take shelter before a hurricane hits and the first to reappear once the storm has passed.  A bird that has the guts to hang in there when the going gets rough.  My friend Dave, the photographer, is strong like that too.  He is watching the storm of his life roll in, and is taking advantage of every minute before it hits.  He is working and playing and singing and smiling and loving and going and doing.   Here's hoping the coming hurricane never makes land! 

 

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/180690371

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

 

What...the flock?

No, we have not had a flock of blue herons fly in, and I am not giving up my seagulls.  I know I painted a blue heron just yesterday but I wanted to revisit him while it was fresh!  I like to paint the birds to my liking of course, usually making them more colorful, lighter or whatever it takes to make them sweet, happy or interesting to me.  Yesterday's blue heron was pretty to me.  That is important.   I think this guy is attractive as well, but I did give him a more realistic look.  I love the blue heron's eyes, so intense.   Hope you like him!

Blue Heron Day

It was a blue heron day.  Not the blue heron on the dock day, but photos of that bird becoming a painting day.  And that is not bad.  It's been a long winter, and I am looking forward to sitting on the patio days watching the lake birds.  This heron is brighter than the guy in the photo, but he looks summery, and that is what I needed today!  I hope you enjoy him.

this painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/179997741

 

 Betty 

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Composed

Composed definition, calm; tranquil; serene.  Such nice words.  Calm, tranquil, serene.  Who doesn't want that.  I don't fully understand it, but painting seagulls helps me stay composed.  True with most of my watercolor painting, but the seagulls always do it.  The quiet colors, the bird's demeanor, and the memories of peaceful time at the beach always equates to calm, tranquil and serene for me.  I can nearly hear the ocean rolling in, rolling out.  That calming constant that always seems to bring life into perspective.  With all of that said, I have to admit I used "Compose blue" for the background color in this piece and that is how he got his name.  But it did get me to thinking about what painting does for me, and that is good!

Painting is available in my Etsy Shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/179420246

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Sunny

The sunshine is sure welcome here in Southern Illinois today.  The cold and snow and gray has been making it difficult for me to continue to pretend that I live on the gulf coast of Florida!  But I'm back there today with the sunshine!  Once again I went to the photos that I took at the sailboat marina near my home here in Southern Illinois and once again, I found the perfect model.  He stands alone without frills or props, rather handsome I would say.  He just didn't need anything.  I hope you enjoy him!

This painting is available in my Etsy Shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/179178328/

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Movin' on

These long legs are movin' on, this guy looks like he has places to go.  I love painting the birds that I see on the lake that I live on here in Southern Illinois.  The lake is frozen right now, so I guess I am "movin' on" in my mind, looking toward warm weather again.  Blue skies and big birds, it's going to be a good one!  I included a picture of this guy in a 16 x 20 mat propped in my studio to give you a better idea of his size.

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178735437/original-bird-painting-bird-art-egret

 

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Longhorns and local wine

An afternoon trip to a local winery recently included encountering longhorns!  What a treat for me.  I don't know that I had ever seen any.  At first the long horns made the cattle look a bit threatening, but they hardly made a move as we studied them and took photos.  The white one never got up from her lying position on the ground.   My goal was to capture the calm, gentle nature of the large, spectacular animals. 

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178643339

 

  Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

I got work to do!

I grew up in a chicken world.  Every spring my folks got 100-200 baby chicks, they became "fryers".  We always had the hens too.  Big white hens usually, that's where the eggs came from.  There was always a rooster around too, but the hens were the ones that produced.  I'm just saying...

This painting is available in my Etsy Shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178269123

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life

Feeling Blue

When I start a bird painting I'm not sure what is going to happen.  I work from photos of seagulls that I took at the sailboat marina near my home in Southern Illinois.  Lots of photos of the seagulls in different postures, turned different directions, head up, head down, eyes open, eyes closed.  I start with the photo and change it around and try to let that particular painting evolve.  When I am able to do that, the bird really develops his own personality.  Some are sweet and soft, others not very nice guys.  Some are sleepy, others very alert.  This little guy seems to be feeling blue.  Not exactly sad, there isn't anything thing really wrong, things just aren't right.   Just feeling blue.

This painting is available in my Etsy shop

https://www.etsy.com/listing/178187494/original-bird-painting-bird-art-portrait

 

Betty

Thank you for sharing in this little slice of my life