14" x 22" Watermedia on Illustration Board
Coming upon this noisy confrontation between a Royal Tern and a Forster's Tern who could resist a few photos! I snapped away!
Back in the studio looking at the pictures, I wondered what was making these birds so angry with each other? I asked my favorite question "what if?" - maybe a tiny mermaid perched on a shell pleading for her life, or a conch peeking out his shell, my imagination was running wild when a glance caught a jar of marbles on the shelf. Light bulb exploded! Someone had left marbles on the beach and each bird was staking a claim! The marbles would provide color and keep the viewer's eye bouncing back and forth between the birds!
While my medium of choice is usually oil, for this one the watercolors and gouache came out. That went well for a little while, but watercolor lifting drives me crazy. Fluid acrylic to the rescue. The painting is now framed and will be shown in the Desoto Arts and Humanities Council's Annual Show opening January 10 at Martin Art Gallery, 207 E. Magnolia Street, Arcadia, Florida with a reception from 5:30 until 7:00. The public is invited and welcome! Hope to see you there!
