Painting birds in an impressionistic style...

Matty art-directed me with these paintings. He's taking an art class right now and is helping me learn to be a bit more creative and looser in my style. He's all about creating something different and new, so he challenged me to get a little modern. In his exact words, "We all know you can paint and draw a bird, but can you make it interesting?" Okay professor....

Painting #39 Northern Cardinal in Evening Snow

I saw this bird in the dead of winter at a local park. Snowflakes were falling heavily and all was quiet except for the muffled sound of new snow consistently accumulating on old snow--a special sound you have to strain to hear, but one that refreshes and soothes. The bird was hidden deep in the center of an oversized bush, protected by branches as night was beginning to fall. The temps were wickedly frigid and this fellow was fluffed to gargantuan extremes. He was one of the most beautiful cardinals I had ever seen.

I had originally painted this guy in full form sitting on a branch, but Matty said, "Nope...get rid of the branches and show me something interesting." So...I just started painting over the branches and the bird, thickly applying paint where it felt good, remembering the darkness...and the cold...and the silent sound of falling snow. Eventually this fellow emerged, and Matty liked him. He liked the chunkiness of the brown paint and the fact the only things in focus were the bill and eyes. He said it was an interesting painting because you had to think about where the bird was and what he was doing.

Painting #40 Goldfinch in the Grass

A saw this little American Goldfinch in a meadow last year. He was surrounded by green leaves and brown grass. Autumn was just starting to creep in, and he was looking a bit scruffy as he carefully poked through teasel stalks. His molt had just begun and his beautiful breeding plumage was starting to fade into the subdued shades of winter, but as I stood in the field and watched him, thoughts of winter were no where around. It was hot that day...very hot, and it felt like summer would go on forever.

I also had already painted a branch with this one and was about to paint the teasel seed head the bird was looking at when Matty said, "Why do you want to add that in? You don't need it. It's interesting right now to see him in the intense green. There's energy. Leave him alone and get rid of the branch." I stammered, "Really? Don't I need to add details to the bird....don't I need to add shadow?" He added, "Mom, can you tell it's a goldfinch?" I shook my head yes. "Then...leave it." So I did, and I love it! I can feel the heat of the day and the sweetness of the bird. I remember everything without seeing the detail.

Painting #41 Autumn Chickadee

Chickadees are my favorite bird. I can hear their cheerful sounds outside my kitchen window all year long. It never fails, as soon as a Chickadee sound registers in my brain, happiness and joy follow! They are happy little powerhouses, and it seems they have the same effect on lots of people. Thank goodness for Chickadees (especially in grey and frigid February). I saw this fellow last year too. He was about 20 feet off the Little Miami trail washed in a blaze of autumn color. Temps were just starting to drop, and he was working hard to gather food for the winter.

Well...this painting does not carry with it Matty's seal of approval. We love the background and the soft warmth of the autumn color, but unfortunately Matty wasn't in the kitchen when I was painting this one, and I added a bit too much detail to the bird, and what on earth was I thinking when I added the "floating" branch? I could go back and paint over it and make it cool, but I'll let it stand as is and move on to the next painting. I already have painting 42 finished and have 43 and 44 in the works. I've got to keep moving if I want to finish the 100 Paintings in a Year Challenge by December 31, 2010!

Matty taught me a lot about freedom with paint in this series. He has a creative eye. Matty, thanks for helping me grow as an artist!