The Gift

 11"x14" oils

This was not an easy reference photo to take. I had to be stealthy. Really stealthy. There were several female cardinals outside the window, but I only got in one photo before they caught my un-stealthy movement and flew away. At least this one photo, I did get, turned out to be pretty cool.

I wish I could have invited her in for a bit. It was just a few days before Christmas and I would have loved sharing some hospitality.

Step 2: getting the layout down.

(Step 1 was starting with a canvas that had been coated in burnt sienna)

Step 3 - started to place the branches and the bird

Step 4 - working across with the leaves and some of the woodwork

Step 5 - Added the brass window latch and more detail in the wood.

The last step, at the top of the page, was more detail and especially more leaves.

I used a palette knife to dab in more texture.

Thanks for stopping by!

Thief! But, darn. A cute one.

5"x7" oils

Our grandson, who lives in Las Vegas, refers to our place as the house in the forest.

Nope. We are just a regular residential plot with some trees. Haha! But I love the fact that from his viewpoint, closer to the ground, it appears to be a forest.

We've planted a couple of peach trees which have been kind of hit and miss with their production. In 2022 we left in July for a vacation of 5 days. When we pulled out of the driveway, the peach trees were heavy with fruit. Tons of it! When we returned, the fruit was completely gone. Completely gone. Not even a peach pit. The culprit(s)? I have a guess. But man, what I wouldn't have payed to see those guys in action. They had to have worked their fluffy little tails off to have pulled off the peach harvest heist of the century.

Jump ahead to the summer of 2025. There weren't a whole lotta peaches - just enough for a pie or two. We took our share, and I made sure to leave a few fruits on the branches for the squirrels, because I'm a soft-hearted idiot.  In payment, I got a sweet little photograph to work from, and a few instances of being able to watch them scamper around in glee, chasing each other and collecting some booty. Not a bad trade off.

Here are a few of this piece's steps along the way.

 Step One: Just some base colors (in oils)

Step 2:Basic placement of things.

                                       

Step 3: Stepping up the color and a little bit of detail.

Step 4: Detail day! Getting more detail done.

Step 5: Ditto!

Lastly, pictured at the top of the page, all the detail. 

Sorry for not posting at all in February. I went out to visit my Las Vegas grandson, celebrate my 60th birthday, and see a bit of Route 66 (a bucket list item). I did, however, work quite a bit in my studio in February, and I hope to be able to finish up a few more pieces to post this month. 

Thanks for stopping by!

This artist, now in her glorious 60s, appreciates you from the bottom of her heart!