Falcon With Blue Eyes - Watercolor Painting

Three figures stand before a cracked vision and acknowledge an identity based in the simplest of elements.

The sun
The moon
The wind and forest.
A kingdom of clouds and their gift of rain

And yet they seek simple grains of sand buried beneath piles of gaudy jewels. All they want is to feel the earth again.
----------

Well, this took a bit of a different turn from when I started it. I literally had a moment where I was about to start painting and said, "well this is meant to be a bit of a self portrait, isn't it?" And so it was, and my handling of the colors changed as a result.

Of course, it's not a literal, physical self-portrait. I don't really look like that, but I incorporated portions of my anatomy (hair and eye color, primarily). There's a lot of symbolism in this important to me; the falcon should be the most obvious.

Watercolor and a tiny bit of colored pencil on cold press Arches watercolor paper, 9X12 inches.

Falcon With Blue Eyes - Work in Progress 3

One more work in progress shot before I probably finish it. I'm rather pleased with how this is turning out. I'm using a bit of a different painting technique...and I got a sharp new #4 round.



It feels good to do some watercolor after being stuck in digital land with this client project...

Falcon With Blue Eyes - Work in Progress 2

Here's a work in progress of the painting I'm working on. I finally found a title after it became apparent this was becoming a metaphorical self-portrait.



Per the suggestion of one of my professors at SCAD-Atlanta (Rick), I moved the ear straighter as it looked like it was sliding off her head before. I also need to move it back a bit. I also changed the bird closest to the face to a falcon since it was necessary with the change in meaning of this painting.

Hawk Woman Painting Progress

Here is a work in progress of a painting I'm working on, which is yet untitled. Usually I don't discover the title until I'm nearing the end of a painting.



I drew this while at DragonCon last month. It's incredible how strong inspiration hits me after seeing all the incredible work in the art show. It's so important for me to experience it every year...it's a recharging of the creative battery, in a way.

Double Feature - Peregrine and Red-Tail Progress

Now that the end of the quarter is within view, it's time to really get things rolling towards completion of the thesis. So far, I have four out of ten paintings done, and a good deal of writing down for the written portion.

Oddly enough, I work better (and faster) if I'm working on two paintings rather than just one. Aside from practical purposes (working on the second painting while a watercolor wash dries on the first, for example), I find working on two different pieces keeps my mind sharp and discourages wandering off to become caught up in distractions (such as sitting mindlessly in front of the computer).

Here is the graphite progress on the peregrine falcon painting. The blue tint is the initial wash.



I will admit - I'm making the peregrine painting extra special because it's my favorite of the birds. Aside from my shameless bias, I wanted to show the action that I feel the peregrine represents, both in the wild and in falconry. Part of my inspiration was renewed when I spoke with Stephen Hein, artist and director at The Center for Wildlife Education and the Lamar Q Ball, Jr. Raptor Center at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia during a recent visit. He described a scene I've read about many times but never heard spoken by a falconer - he told about how he waited for his falcon to stoop, so high in the air, he couldn't see her. Then, that sound - the sound often described as 'tearing canvas' in the books - and she shot down into view in pursuit. Hearing of such an experience made my heart race again with newfound inspiration.

When I think of falcons I think streamlined, sharp, pointed. The shape of the stoop, even of the moment right as the bird is about to strike her prey, is sharp and angled. The peregrine is designed perfectly for speed, and in this painting, I wanted to show that, in contrast with the rounded, confused ducks.

The second painting is going to explore at the red-tailed hawk, and its passive role in human culture as 'vermin control.' Like the barn owl, red-tailed hawks actually benefit farmers by hunting the rodents that damage crops. Unfortunately, throughout history, this widespread hawk has been the victim of shooting, from farmers who incorrectly see them as 'chicken hawks.' In fact, the hawks that are most likely to take a shot at poultry are the accipiters - more specifically, the two larger species, the Coopers Hawk and the Northern Goshawk. Buteos like the red-tailed hawk are primarily rodent hunters.



I'm looking forward to working on all those beautiful feathers on the back, wings, and tail!