Crow Season

My Gallery, The Whidbey Art Gallery, promotes a Crow Show in the month of October. so I pulled out sketches and reference photos and got to work.
My first Crow is called The Wise One.  
It is an oil painting with a hint of Madrona trees.  Some paintings just come together easily, this was one of them.  Painting it felt right.  The madrona tree inspiration came on a second pass.



Weathering the Political Storm of 2018 was also inspired.  Referring to a recent sketch of a crow with ruffled feathers, I kept thinking why is he so kerfuffled?  Decided he needed dark stormy weather and a nest to hold onto, then maybe lighter skies looking toward the future.  The inspiration for the title came from the current continuous political news.  I feel we are all holding on in the rough politics of this year.

 Finally, the Baby Crow!  He appears to be startled, like why am I here?  His feet are so big!  I had fun with this little watercolor also and another rendition painted on some kind of paper that absorbed the paint.
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Visit us in Langley WA and enjoy the Crow Show. Artwalk is this Saturday, Oct 6, from 5-7pm.

Crows, Corvus or Canny Black Birds!

I've been playing with acrylic ink on 300# gessoed watercolor paper.  I distress the background with gold gesso and color, spatters etc.  Then, while looking at free images on the internet, I sketch the crows with the acrylic ink dropper and move the paint with water and alcohol and a small brush or two.  You have to enjoy serendipity and not be attached to perfection.  Here are a few results.
These crows are then finished with a spray varnish and can be framed like oils with no glass!
Pat

Ruffled feathers sold

Grooming

Are you my mother?

Thinking crow sold

Corvus

Crows and Ravens are such clever birds.   Here in Langley, we celebrate the sometimes pesky birds with cutouts all around the town.  Yes, Langley is a Whale town, but when the grays and orcas are traveling North to Alaska and South to Baja, there is a lull and we fill that lull with bigger than life size cutout images of our clever, funny, pesky crows. 

Crows overlooking Saratoga Passage

This month at Whidbey Art Gallery, we are having a group show, called Winters' Muse.  In that show are several themes relating to Winter and that includes a couple of crows.  These are mine!  Opening night is this Saturday, January 3rd.

RUFFLED, framed acrylic ink 

THINKING, unframed (in the print bin)