Avon Valley Artists Thursday 1 March 2012

This week the subject was `In the Garden'. to be interpreted as you will although keeping to the basic theme.

My source Photo

 In the Garden - Fabriano Artistico Extra White 14" x 20" Not

Although only small my garden swarms with birds. I have four feeding stations plus a bird bath and a small pond, a four star hotel for the birds! The most numerous visitors are goldfinches. In the painting I've added greenfinches, also regulars, and a long tailed tit, an occasional visitor usually in numbers. I could have put in many other species.

My basic painting was built around two bird feeders with the two goldfinches at the front left the  main focal points. I painted them and the bird feeder together with an impression of the surrounding foliage in one passage. I then moved to the right completing the second feeder and another goldfinch linking them together with the  greenfinches at the top right. The branches at the top of the painting were put in last as was the long tailed tit. I tried to link everything to avoid any one part looking isolated.

Colours used for the goldfinches were Indigo (Daniel Smith PB60/Pbk6) for the blacks , Hansa Yellow Medium (Daniel Smith PY97) and Indian Yellow (Rowney PY153) plus diluted Raw Umber. The Red is Quinacridone Rose (Graham PV19). Raw Sienna was used to simulate the seeds in the feeders. I used a lot of Hookers Green (Graham) in various dilutions and sometimes altered with yellow. Some Gold Ochre is in there somewhere (Winsor & Newton PY43). Burnt Sienna was added in various places to add warmth. The Greenfinches are a mixture of green and yellow in various dilutions. The greys are mainly Indigo with some Burnt Sienna.

Brushes were my Da Vinci Artissimo 44 Size 2 Kolinsky mop, a size 6 Da Vinci Maestro 10 and the Isabey retractable size 6. Comments welcome.