Chickadee Moon

 

 

 

"Chickadee Moon"

Here is a fun painting featuring two chickadees on birch with a bright full moon in the sky above them, radiating its light through the deep cobalt blue sky. I was ice fishing on a lake north of Duluth recently and was skunked, as usual, but I did get a sweet shot of the full moon over the lake. The ice fishing trip was cut a little short due to my son stepping into an ice hole and getting cold, but we still managed to have fun. Just like the chickadees, they seem to have fun no matter what the weather.

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.

Baby Chick 5 & 6

Here's baby chick numbers five and six in the series of small chickadees I posted to my DailyPaintworks web page. I've received quite a bit of feedback on these, people noticing the subtle shades of blues and light browns in the birds and birches. Funny how people notice the little things, sometimes I think people just glance at my paintings, but when they point out some details, I know they're noticing what I'm noticing. I'm noticing I have some work to so so I'm going to get to it .. happy St. Patrick's Day!

Baby Chick No. 4

"Baby Chick No. 4"

With Spring on the horizon ... even as we received a fresh four inches of fluffy white snow this morning ... I'm posting a series of 'baby chickadee' paintings, this one titled Baby Chick No. 4. The baby in the name refers to the sizes of these pieces, a mere 4"wx4"h. I've never painted a nest of baby birds, but that would be a fun composition, especially a robin holding a big fat juicy nightcrawler over half a dozen open beaks. I observed a nest of baby birds once, and I noticed the beaks would pop out of the nest before the momma bird was in sight, and I thought that the babies could hear the familiar sound of mom's wings flapping in order to slow down prior to landing on the delicate nest. Anyways ... if you like this piece, this one is available on my dailypaintworks gallery, which is an online community of artists who paint, give eachother feedback and support, and occasionally sell a painting, which to an artist is equivalent to a hungry baby bird getting a big fat juicy nightcrawler.
Please visit my DailyPaintworks gallery page for more information on today's piece.

Two Birds on Birch

"Two Birds on Birch", 12"w x 4"h, Lizzards Gallery, Duluth, MN

Here is the last of this horizontal format chickadee works titled Two Birds on Birch. I had so much fun with this series that I could just keep painting them ... and I just may! But, alas, I only had three of these canvases ready to paint. I have several 4"wx4"h chickadee paintings from this series as well that I'll be posting in the coming days. On another note, I broke shovel number four yesterday. This winter has been the coldest and snowiest of my mere 39 years in Minnesota. It was a record setting season, and I'm ready for the next one. Yesterday, we had 50 degree temps and I was clearing several inches of ice off the sidewalks when the shovel said one last uff da and joined the stack of cracked shovels in the garage. I guess I'm going to buy shovel number five before the next snowfall forecasted for Wednesday. This time, I'm buying a wood handled steel shovel. We'll see how old man winter likes that. lol.
Please contact Lizzards Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

Three 'Dees

Here is another work in a series of chickadees titled Three 'Dees. I find that when I work in series, it's easy to talk about the first piece, then it gets more difficult to find things to say when you continue on a theme. Today the thought that I've been able to soften my subject matter, the chickadees, to reflect their gentle and playful interactions with each other. The brightness of these works keeps drawing my eye, perhaps a reflection of things to come.
Please contact Lizzards Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

Four In Feathers

 

Featured on this fine day is a fun piece titled Four in Feathers. This piece, which measures a whopping twelve inches wide by four inches high, is part of a new series of small chickadee paintings that I'll be posting here in the coming days. This series is very uniform in color, composition, and brushwork. Working in series gives you a great exercise in consistency as an artist, something I'm constantly working on. The series is also much brighter than recent works which focused on the darkness of the winter season. Perhaps it's the spring like weather we're getting a taste of this week that has prompted the brighter color. I'm not sure, but I did enjoy this series, and I hope you will too.
Please contact Lizzards Gallery in Duluth, MN for more information on this piece.

Twilight Gathering

I painted male cardinals almost exclusively for at least a year before I added in a female cardinal. It had more to do with the striking red color of the male cardinal, but when I add in the the more muted colored female cardinal, there seems to be even more color, and more interest in the composition. In this 12"w x 9"h piece, titled Twilight Gathering, the dark starry sky behind the cardinals in the birches cause the birds to really pop off the canvas. It catches your eye and draws your interest, just like that woodpecker did this morning as I was walking my dog through the deep snowy deer trails this morning. The forest was filled with birches, white pine, cedar and large blue outcroppings. Everything was quiet, the sky was overcast, and it was just peaceful and beautiful. And then there was that woodpecker, banging away as if he wanted to make sure everyone was awake. And after all his racket, everyone was. :)

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.

Love Birds

I just couldn't resist. I just had to paint a this one ... the female cardinal with an open beak talking the other male cardinal's feathers off. I had some fun with this 12"w x 9"h piece titled Love Birds, and while I put so much emphasis on the subject of this piece, the background ended up quite interesting as I felt as though I could have fun with it due to the strength of the foreground birds and birches. The moon in the center adds that third element and anchors this piece. I wonder what that female cardinal is saying ... we could ask the male cardinal, but I don't believe he'd be of much help, as he probably isn't even listening ... ;)

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.

Baltimore Oriole Sky

This piece, titled Baltimore Oriole Sky, features the oriole which is quickly becoming a favorite bird of mine, perched on a birch and pondering the moon in the sky. The moon is orange, and so is the dappled light radiating from the moon. The bird, I suppose, is trying to figure out why the moon is orange. This was a fun study in light and shadow, and increasing levels of opacity in the paint. I often stop and listen to the birds singing, and perhaps this moon is too, and smiling at this  happy little bird.

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.

Why Can't This Night Go On Forever?

For this piece, titled Why Can't This Night Go On Forever?, and is 60"w x 48"h, the subject is a golden moon over lake Superior with Split Rock Lighthouse, the jagged rocks of the cliffs and endless blue skies and waters. This painting actually has quite a story behind it. On my first date with my future wife Kathy, which was set up by some friends, we went to where else but Perkins for a bite to eat .. where all the college students went in those days ... and then decided to set out on a little adventure up the Scenic 61. We drove with some friends all the way up to Split Rock Lighthouse, and for some reason, we pulled in and the gate was left open. Normally, the gate would have been shut, but tonight the park ranger forgot, and so a little after midnight we parked close to the lighthouse and walked up to the edge of the cliff. The moon hung over the water and sparkled across the lake while some people had a campfire across the bay. As I looked at the moon and the lake and the scene I remember thinking why can't this night go on forever? Most first dates might not be so adventurous and spontaneous as ours was, but that's just the way I was made, and it wasn't too much longer I proposed to my wife at Coppertop Church on the top of the hill in Duluth ... with the moon once again smiling down on us, sparkling and dancing across the water...

Little Red Riders

"Little Red Riders", 8"w x 8"h

I was informed by Sivertson Gallery that this piece, titled Little Red Riders had sold right after I had brought it in yesterday. Apparently, someone loved these little cardinals as much as I did. :-) These bright red little wind riders are a mere half an inch in scale, but they make up for it with their blazing red color complementing the lush evergreen and spring lit sky in the distance of this piece. I'm hoping this present cold snap is our last here in northern Minnesota ... soon the spring season will bring it's warm temps, lush greens and song birds to our land once again.