Tuesday, April 12, 2016

SPOTTED REDSHANK




I did some more work to this painting so decided to re-post it here. Didn't really add too much to it, a little work done to the water and also a bit to the bird - mostly to the wing and underbelly. The finished painting is closer to what I had in mind when I first started work on this piece so I think I'll leave it as it is now.
I have a special affinity for the Spotted Redshank. There seems, to my eye at least, to be a wonderful balance between the size of the head and the body which has more of an elegant shape than other tringa waders - although the Greenshank also shares some of this elegance. I also very much enjoy the plumage which ranges from the greyish bird seen above (in winter) to very mottled in-between birds, and during breeding a beautiful dark almost black plumage with paler markings on the back and tertials - from which presumably it gets its name. Size of this watercolor is 10" x 7" (25cm x 18cm).

1 comment:

John Holmes said...

Nice soft light...typical of a Hong Kong early spring.