Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Opposites attract excellent thought


Chickadee on a coffee cup
acrylic on canvas
8 x 8 inches
(not quite finished)
What did I do? I shortened
the legs, by making the coffee
cup bigger, changed the colour
of the chest feathers to white and
buff, changed the shape of the bib, head back, and
the colouring on the back and feathers.
The result is a rounder, fluffier bird.
By the way although my experience has
shown chickadees to be shy, they
are not shy at all if you find out what
they like to eat.

I'm going to be brief tonight because it's late.
I went to the library today and got out so many
bird books that I hurt my shoulder carrying them.
I love librarians and how they help so quickly when
I have an inquiry. Zip you're at the shelf and
have too much choice. After researching a bit I
went back to my chickadee, and here's the result so
far.

My thought about opposites is that every now and
then when I'm working on something small I crave
a big brush stroke, and sometimes when I get to the
big canvas I long for the simpler scope of the small
one. Both extremes teach me about the other, and
shake up my thinking. The truth is that aside from
scale and the need for very tiny brushes, or larger
ones, what I'm trying to do is the same, create
an image that I enjoy, and one that gives you
pleasure.

Have a loving-the-size-you're-working-with day.

4 comments:

r garriott said...

Oooo! Looking even prettier... the reflections on the rim are a nice touch. The colors are working together even more.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi R,

Thanks. I love the real bird, but can't see its painted cousin appearing on my big painting. Maybe that was just an idea. Meanwhile I'll work on painting more dramatic local birds.

Take care,

Barbara

laura said...

How did I miss your bird posts? They're wonderful--the changes you made to this chickadee painting were very effective--it's charming! And I love the colors.

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Laura,

Thanks so much. I could see that there's more to do, but I think I may be done with this one.

Take care,

Barbara

Portrait Artist

My photo
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I paint and draw on commission and for shows. To commission a portrait, or purchase one of my paintings please contact me at: barbara.muir@sympatico.ca
A major highlight in my career? Drawing Oprah Winfrey live via Skype for her show "Where in the Skype are you? Galleries: Studio Vogue Gallery, Toronto, Canada. The Amsterdam Whitney Gallery, New York City. Gallery at the Porch Door, Kingston, Canada. Your positive comments on this blog mean the world to me. I'd love to hear from you!