Duck...Duck...

#7: Goose

Inspiration for the painting:

One morning, before the sun had poked its head above the horizon, I heard a goose honking as he flew overhead, all by himself. The honks came in unison with the flaps of his wings. It was still dark, but I could just make him out against the sky. He was heading toward the lake in Dalhart, TX, where thousands of birds had begun to collect for the winter. I wondered why he was flying alone and imagined all kinds of stories to try to make sense of a single goose coming into the nesting area in the wee hours of the morning. Some day maybe I’ll write that story. I couldn’t get a picture of the goose, so I decided he would be the subject of my next painting. 

9" X 12" canvas panel

What I like about the painting:

• I liked the way the colors of the background move from one color to the next. 
• The tongue looks 3-D and the eye looks quite realistic.
• I felt more comfortable dabbling paint on the body and neck and didn’t worry that they didn’t look much like the pictures of geese I studied.

What I might do differently:

• I think beginning with light colors and building glazed layers on top would have added depth to the painting.
• It might be interesting to stray from realism and, using a wide brush, just stroke on different colors for the feathers.
• I need something in the background, not just the blue.
• The goose looks flat. I suspect it is because I focused on color, not necessarily shadows.

What I learned:

• I practiced using larger brushes first, and leaving the detail until the end.