GYRFALCON STUDY

The gyrfalcon is my favorite falcon and I have done a number of studies of this most impressive bird. All this work led up to the completion of a large oil that was exhibited at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum and is now in a private collection. In this study though, I was after something different and wanted to show something of the bird's character in a more relaxed pose. Done in watercolor on smooth paper, I first washed in the background over a relatively detailed drawing - some of which you can still see at the bottom of the painting. I stuck to two or three basic colors and worked from the head down using thinner washes as I did. I like this somewhat simple composition and faded out appearance, and feel adds something to the work. I don't do as many bird paintings as I used to but still enjoy the challenge from time to time. This painting (also in a private collection) is 15" X 7 1/2".