HOLIDAY SHOPPING for Songbird Art!

Christmas Cardinals

In preparing for the holidays, I've created a series of 4x6" prints (matted in 8x10" mats and sold in plastic envelopes) from my original bird paintings. There is a good selection of song birds available, plus a few raven prints.

More Christmas Cardinals plus One Raven

And a set of 3 Carolina Wrens - can be purchased as a set or separately:

Followed by various USA songbirds, 2 Ravens, and a baby Crow:

 

The group below are square prints, matted in 8" square mats for $25/each.

Each print sells for $32.00. However, if multiples are purchased, a reduction will be made for such sales. The prints can be sent anywhere in the USA by US Priority Mail Envelop for $10.00 per envelop.

If you are interested in making a purchase, you may contact me via my Facebook page, using Facebook Messenger to ask questions, select a print, provide the mailing address and arrange payments via PayPal. 

Here's wishing you an easy shopping season and joyous holidays!

Painting & Learning More About Ravens

Caw (c) Pat Dolan - 2017 - 12"w x 9"h - $135.00 + 6% sales tax for PA residents

I've started to read about the Raven population and am finding it quite interesting. I have 2 books, both by Bernd Heinrich, Professor Emeritus of Biology at the University of Vermont. The titles: Raven in Winter and Mind of the Raven: Investigations and Adventures with Wolf-Birds. His writing style is both informational and amusing. He provides plenty of antidotes which embellish his prose, to say the least. As a professional biologist, he has made a study of the Ravens since the mid-1970's or so. Actually, he reminds me a great deal of our son-in-law, also a biologist and an author - who can make information about trees, bugs, plants, stones, and the like absolutely fascinating!

Anyway, I'm not too far in the first book, Ravens in Winter, and the author has proposed plenty of theories and had most of them dashed by the objects of his studies. The stories make a great accompanyment for my painting of individual Ravens as photographed by Wendy Davis, a wonderful photographer living in British Columbia. She posts "Raven a Day" on Facebook, which is how I found her photographs. So captivated was I, that I wrote and asked for permission to use her Raven photos as reference material for my Raven portraits. She graciously agreed, and also recommended the two books that are enriching my experience of these wonderful birds.

Above, "Attentive" in process. Below, completed painting "Attentive" (c) Pat Dolan 2017 SOLD

Below, three stages of "Preening" (c) Pat Dolan 2017

First stage of placing lights vs. darks on the painting, making sure of composition.

Second state, toning down lights and darks, or accentuating them, as needed.

Final state, adding appropriate details to capture the essence of the Raven as he preens his feathers. "Preening" is SOLD.

Below are two photos of the early stages of "Caw" shown at the top of this entry. I started boldly, then tones down the lights to captivate this Raven cawing.

All Raven bird portrait paintings at this time are 9"x12" painted on black canvas with acrylic paints. Most are available for purchase.

Beginning a New Bird Portrait Series: RAVENS

Raven Watching and Raven Warning (c) Pat Dolan - 2017 - 9"w x 12"h - Available

I've long been an admirer of Crows and Ravens. I've collected photographs, stories, websites and more in my efforts to learn more about these intelligent birds. And since I've been painting bird portraits for awhile now, it was only a matter of time before I began a series on Ravens/Crows.

And since my first Hereford portraits on black canvas, the idea of painting Ravens on black canvas was a natural first step into this series. I had originally planned to add colors - to liven up the personalities of each bird. I've seen wonderful crow paintings by such artists as Dean Crouser and Bev Jozwiak and I love all the colors they add to their works of art.

My first attempt on black canvas included using blues, purples, black and white to illustrate what I believed to be the personality of the Raven I was painting. I generally work on several paintings at a time, and I had three separate works on two easels and my drawing table. The second and third paintings wouldn't allow me to use anything other than black and white paint to portray the Ravens I had selected. The longer I worked, the more it became obvious that MY paintings were destined, at this time for sure, to remain monochromatic in black and white! Much as I wanted to add a dab of bright blue or shocking red, the birds involved were very much against such a portrayal!

Raven Watching (c) Pat Dolan - 2017 - 9"w x 12"h - Available

As artists, we do learn from our works. It sounds absurd that a painting tells the artist how to paint it or what colors to use, but the longer one works as an artist, the more one pays attention to the communication between the art and the artist. It is vital now, for me, to pay attention to what my piece wants to say and how it wants to say it.

Raven Warning (c) Pat Dolan - 2017 - 9"w x 12"h - Available

So here you see the three paintings I have thus far been working on. The one on top is, I think, not quite done. The other two are now at the framers to be suitably enhanced by a subtle black with silver-rubbed-into-the-wood frame. We tried lots of different frames - the black frames did nothing to enhance the work. The gray frames that had the slightest tint of wood tone or other warm color definitely clashed with the work. Finally we tried the black with a hint of silver and the paintings both shone with delight. The art also tells you what frame to use!

All three in the Raven series are 9" x 12" acylic paintings on black canvas. I'm uncertain as to whether or not the top Raven - which feels to me like a young bird - is complete or not. I have the feeling that it is not, so I'm just waiting for it to tell me what's next...perhaps a touch of blue to the eye, guaranteeing that it is a juvenile Raven. Time will tell - or rather, the bird will let me know!