Hello Again!

Downy & Cardinal on my easel...

Yesterday was a day to replenish the spirit - so I listened to smooth jazz on my iPod (Acoustic Alchemy. Rippingtons, not that they are that "smooth!," Peter White, David Benoit, Russ Freeman, Bob James, Boney James, Chuck Mangione, Dave Koz, Euge Groove, Fourplay!!!, George Winston, Gerald Albright, Jazz Masters, Paul Hardcastle, Rick Braun, etc...) while I lost myself in art.

All the arts are wonderful ways to renew the mind/heart/soul/spirit! I had a great day and can show you what I worked on.

I had been going to leave the whites merge with the background, but decided at this point, that a pale background just around the white areas of the woodpecker would enhance the painting - especially from a distance.

Then it was time to refine the areas around the eye, accent a few places, tone down the pale background, and complete the work.

Downy Woodpecker - (c) Pat Dolan - Acrylic painting 12" x 12"

Reds are hard to paint - they are just so bright!

Adding the beak, which is a slightly different color from the body, of course.

I like the white background on this one - crisp and clean. These paintings are designed to harmonize in any decor, from country to modern and beyond.

Then it was time for the finishing details - the eyes, the beak high-lights, a deepening of color here and there. And a signature.

Male Cardinal - (c) Pat Dolan - Acrylic - 12" x 12"

So today, it's another day for music and art. I'm loving my studio time. I think I'll do a cow next! Nothing like adjusting to change!!!