Backyard Cardinal

6 x 6 oil on gessobord

This Cardinal flew in the other day and landed on my curly willow.   I had to hustle to get my camera ready before he flew away.  Birds don't stay long in my teeny new tree.   After completing the painting, I was trying to photograph it and dropped it in a plastic garbage can and totally scraped off the front of his body.  Paint literally scrapes off these gessobords very easily, leaving you with  a big smear.    Note:
Backgrounds give me fits.  I have changed this one 3 times and still can't get the effect that I want.  I love Elizabeth Blaylock's bird paintings.  She has such lively, colorful backgrounds. 

Cardinal I

5 x 7 oil on canvas panel - SOLD

I'm calling this Cardinal I because it's really a study for maybe a larger painting later but there will be more studies, I'm sure.   I am pretty much covered in red paint right now.  I can't quite figure out how other artists manage to stay so neat and clean as they paint when I'm covered in paint from fingers, to arms to face!   What a mess I make!!!   I re-painted this when I dropped it in the street - decided to change the background a bit;  my original photo was much clearer than the one on top for some reason.