10/10/2019 - 1/4/2020 Art of the Plains 2019, American Plains Artists 34th Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale - Pearce Museum, Corsicana, TX
This painting was inspired by an incident my family witnessed in our backyard. We heard a screech and looked out the window to see a hawk on the ground with a blue jay in his talons. Another blue jay was screeching and dive-bombing the hawk, obviously furious. It kept up its attack for several minutes, even as the hawk fled with its kill. I was touched by the emotion exhibited by that jay. I think we often take birds for granted because they are such a part of our daily scenery. We don't think of them as emotional beings, but they are. This incident reminded me of that. I have no qualms about the hawk's behavior - predators must hunt to survive. I've always understood that, but seeing it first hand was powerful and moving. I will never forget the grief and anger of that surviving blue jay.
Got some great photos of the hawk, but no good shots of the blue jay, I stalked the bird feeders last summer, shooting photos and sketching blue jays. I also took photos of many other birds, which I plan to paint in the future. I considered several poses for the blue jay, but chose this one because I wanted all the energy - wings, talons, beak, gaze - focused on that hawk. I hope that it conveys some of the fury I witnessed that day. I kept the background simple and abstracted to contrast with the detail of the birds, keeping the focus on their interaction.
Exhibitions:
10/10/2019 - 1/4/2020 Art of the Plains 2019, American Plains Artists 34th Annual Juried Exhibit & Sale - Pearce Museum, Corsicana, TX
This painting was inspired by an incident my family witnessed in our backyard. We heard a screech and looked out the window to see a hawk on the ground with a blue jay in his talons. Another blue jay was screeching and dive-bombing the hawk, obviously furious. It kept up its attack for several minutes, even as the hawk fled with its kill. I was touched by the emotion exhibited by that jay. I think we often take birds for granted because they are such a part of our daily scenery. We don't think of them as emotional beings, but they are. This incident reminded me of that. I have no qualms about the hawk's behavior - predators must hunt to survive. I've always understood that, but seeing it first hand was powerful and moving. I will never forget the grief and anger of that surviving blue jay.
Got some great photos of the hawk, but no good shots of the blue jay, I stalked the bird feeders last summer, shooting photos and sketching blue jays. I also took photos of many other birds, which I plan to paint in the future. I considered several poses for the blue jay, but chose this one because I wanted all the energy - wings, talons, beak, gaze - focused on that hawk. I hope that it conveys some of the fury I witnessed that day. I kept the background simple and abstracted to contrast with the detail of the birds, keeping the focus on their interaction.