Impending Doom

I thought it was time to give you an update on how Orin T. and I are doing.  Currently, Orin T. is a little pale and just sitting around on his fishing bucket, watching me paint.  The good news, he’s pretty quiet and I’m making good progress.

After much deliberation in my head (I always have too many ideas) and on a scratchpad (that’s where all the ideas get weeded out in reality), I FINALLY decided on the layout and mood for the 4th painting in The Bird Watcher Series.  The concept I had for this painting years ago when I first sketched it out was a picnic scene with all the creatures that Great Blue Herons eat, hiding amongst the props and in the grass.  Picnics are typically something one looks forward to, but not if you are a little guest and could possibly come to your demise when the much larger, carnivorous guest, surreptitiously arrives at the picnic.  So, rather than making the painting full of light and happy I decided to portray the scene with a sense of foreboding that would accompany a little creature who, unsuspectingly, might look up for the last time, only to come eye to eye with a Great Blue Heron.

Nothing that moves and breaths on land or in water and can be swallowed whole, is safe, when it comes to these lanky, lightning quick, prehistoric looking birds–that is why I’ve decided to call this painting “Impending Doom”.

I’m having a blast with this painting so far–I may change my mind when I have to paint all the grass, but all in all, I think there is potential for “Impending Doom” being my favorite in The Bird Watcher series so far.  (It may be because of the GIANT bird I get to paint.)

It will be a while before I post the final piece.  There is obviously a lot of work to do on a 36″x80″ painting, but I also want to have an element of surprise when completed.  When done, the painting will make its way to Cannon Beach and be available for sale at Northwest by Northwest Gallery.