Wow, I've been so busy with classes and related projects that I've neglected checking in the forum - and my own thread :-O - as often as I need too. Thanks Mike, Russ, Gaby, Nick, Alan, Colleen, Ed, Tim and Arthur for all the comments and encouragement! Great motivation to keep at it, though I'm hopelessly hooked so no concerns really about slacking off...!
I thought I would share a WIP here. This is an 18 x 24 inch oil piece that is the first painting I'm doing for an independent project oils class at the local college (where I am just about the most 'senior' - chronologically speaking, anyway - student, which has both its advantages and disadvantages). Basically, I took the three normal progression oil painting classes last year and then you can continue with project classes if you wish. You pick a subject(s), get ok from the instructor and then just check in with her/him periodically. Good to be in the studio environment with the other students at least on occasion.
Anyway, my interests are landscapes and wildlife (95% birds, of course) and so this first painting is based on a photo I took in 2009 at the mouth of the Salmon River on the Oregon coast. I was out early one morning birding before a watercolor workshop class starrted and also was taking a bunch of reference photos for landscapes, with a beautiful summer morning, low morning light and a wonderful setting. When...in flew a flock of about fifteen Great Egrets that started to forage close to where I was. That species is not very common in that area, so it was a great opportunity. [Post #215 in this thread has a smaller and earlier watercolor version that I did earlier on this same basic scene, for comparison.] For this comp, I reduced the number or egrets and focused in a bit, but still wanted to capture the overall landscape with the birds as an integral part. I'm learning more about composition and so modified a number of things in the actual scene to improve it (hopefully!) but not so much that someone familiar with the area wouldn't accept it as being there. The birds are not done, some more work in needed on the water and the foreground, and when it's dry enough, I'm going to attempt to scumble some mist and fog into the middle and distant tree masses.
I've done way more watercolor than oils, but want to move toward oils as my primary medium, so any advice or comments from you folks would be most appreciated.
(And yes, Colleen, I know what crits Jo would have on the lines here - I tried and it is better than it would have been, but I think I'll be trying this one again in oil, possibly in a 24 x 36 size, rather than doing major changes here.
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