Tuesday, December 17, 2013

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.


1 comment:

  1. I love how you just go for it! I like your composition too. It pulls you in to its eye and mouth ~ great tongue!

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