5-Day Challenge: Costa's Hummingbird 5x7 Oil on Panel

Many thanks to my friend Tom Gottfried for sending me beautiful hummingbird pictures. He is quite a photographer, and cultivates flowers in his yard that attract hummingbirds. The results are stunning.

Carmen

Ibis, 6x8 Oil on Canvas Panel, Wildlife Art, Daily Painting

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I've been painting a lot of flowers lately, so here's a little change of pace. These birds were at our wonderful Brevard Zoo in Melbourne. To quote the zoo website, here is how it all started:

It began as a small group of people...
A small group of people with a big dream; building a zoo. A world-class zoo that would serve as a conservation hub where people could gather to learn about animals. A place to escape from the urban world and get closer to nature, to be reminded of the diversity of the life with which we share this planet.

Now we have a state-of-the-art zoo with rhinos, giraffes, meerkats--it's an amazing testament to what community effort can do.

Carmen

Wading at Sunrise, 10x8 Oil on Canvas, Seascape on Beach

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Sunrises in Florida are glorious. The blues, purples and golds are astonishing, and I tried to capture that in this painting. This bird was just ambling along, looking for breakfast and enjoying another beautiful day by the sea. Need I mention that sunsets in Florida are also glorious?

Carmen

Red-Bellied Woodpecker, 8x6 Oil on Canvas, Bird Painting

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Our painting group had a challenge last week to paint this cute bird. You'd think it would be called a Redheaded Woodpecker, but no, it has a spot of red way down on its belly, hence the name. 

We take turns assigning a weekly challenge, and while we are meeting that challenge an interesting phenomenon occurs. A hush falls over us. This is the only time this unusual occurrence happens, and only after two hours of complete concentration do we break into song (or sometimes, dance). This is followed closely by food consumption. This is why we live for Thursdays.

Carmen

Mystery Bird, 6x6 Oil on Canvas

I am not sure what this bird is, and if anyone knows, please let me know. He was hanging out in the Everglades looking so cute, I just had to paint him. I donated him to the Lagoon Fest to be held in October 2014 to benefit Oyster Restoration for the Indian River Lagoon.

I read in the paper that a large number of pelicans and manatees have died here on the Space Coast, and it's likely because of the sorry condition of our waterways. The Banana River and Indian River are polluted by runoff from pesticides and fertilizers, and this is good for no one. Our river used to be full of clammers and I never see them any more. I don't think a green lawn is the priority here. I think I should have pride in the sorry-looking lawn we're sporting these days. I'm looking at it in a whole new way.

PURCHASE

Baltimore Oriole, 5x7

I painted this cute little guy when I had a broken wrist and was painting left-handed. I painted in a bit more impressionistic style, out of necessity, and I want to loosen up with my right hand, but it is stubborn and wants to be more precise. Qiang Huang is coming to teach a workshop at our Artists Guild in November, and I hope some of his impressionist genius rubs off on me.

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Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, 5x7

I painted this little guy when my wrist was broken and I had to paint lefthanded. It was very exhausting, making my brain work a bit differently. I called it my Sinistra series ("lefthanded" in Latin), and it kept me going last winter while my wrist healed.

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Gull on Gold, 5x7

This Beach Treasure is a living one. Florida is hot, hot, hot right now, and I tried to convey the sunny look.

We just watched an amazing nine-year-old, Ethan Bortnick perform on PBS. He plays piano and sings every kind of music. It's so endearing to hear him sing, "...and I thay to mythelf...what a wonderful world..." Here's a link to his YouTube performances. 

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Egret in Grass, 8x10

This is another Everglades picture. I hate to be trite--how many bird paintings have you seen with this pose? But he gave me his profile, so what was I to do?

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Spoonbill, 5x7

This is my favorite bird. It is beautiful, yet has a funny face that is a big spoon. There are a lot of contradictions like that in the bird world--like the albatross, so lovely, so graceful in the air, then it crash-lands and waddles away. 

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