The evening drawing to a close over the expanse of the marsh - something that I go back to time and time again as a subject to paint. Here clouds cover most of the sky and the weak winter sun is hidden. Soon I will head home again but linger for just a little while longer as the last fluting wader calls drift across the water. This oil study done on an 8 x 10 canvas board.
I did these juvenile Glossy Ibis studies after seeing a few during my field trip to the New Jersey shore last late year. One bird was close by feeding in the marshland right next to where I had parked so was able to spend some time with it. Although the body feathers had a faint iridescent sheen like the adult, I expect this to become much more apparent when the bird matures. It will also lose most of the white on the head while overall becoming much smarter looking. I expect I'll will get to the adult birds soon and do more studies of this interesting bird. Size is 12 x 9 inches, watercolor on Strathmore paper.
While I have been working in watercolor again, I decided to paint another view looking across the evening marsh. This one is similar to the oil study I did a while ago but I think I like this one more than the other. It did take a little longer with it using quite a few washes of color to capture not just the deeper rich tones, but also the textures in the grasses too. This painting has become one of my favorite watercolors to date and am looking forward to seeing it in a frame. Size is 12 x 9 in (30 x 23 cm).
In this smaller study, I tried a slightly more realistic view wanting to get a better representation of just how the sky and landscape looked that morning. As usual, I was sitting looking out and waiting for the sun to rise, hoping for an atmospheric effect that I could try to capture in paint. Here being so early, the sun is still below the horizon but illuminating the sky behind the encompassing cloud. A slightly lighter glow effused the center while the lower horizon blended into the sky above. Lights showed where there were various buildings in an otherwise dark landscape. This one has become a favored piece of mine and I enjoy looking at it remembering the beautiful sky that morning. Size is 5 x 7 inches (12 x 18 cm), oil on board.
After working in oils for some time recently, it felt good to pick up the watercolors again. Here a back-lit Great Egret makes its appearance. I was lucky with this bird because they are usually quite shy but it was distracted by an outpouring of water from a dam where fish had gathered so allowed a close approach. The winter birds don't have the vivid green around the base of the bill and eye, this area reverts to a more somber yellowish-orange that is slightly paler than the bill. The eye as always fascinates though - and that dagger-like bill! Although a simple composition, I enjoyed painting this one. Size is about 9 x 10 inches.
