Water Birds, Alameda Estuary

Comment

Comment by Christine Rossi on October 9, 2015 at 12:44am

Thank you for your comments on this piece. The Ravens and other pieces you mentioned are done mostly in Charcoal and acrylic while this piece is in done in oils.

This has been a favorite of mine and I sold the original last fall. It is now gracing a home in San Francisco, CA.

Comment by Resident Curator on October 8, 2015 at 9:25pm

Curator’s Comments:   

 

The posture of the Water Birds, Alameda Estuary creates an anthropomorphic quality in these subjects.  The painterly brush marks assist in highlighting the luminous textured feathers and colorful plumage, while the quieter backdrop brings a mood of serenity to the painting.  I enjoy the birds facing in opposite directions; balancing the higher elevated bird against water, as opposed to the heron on rocky land.  The small amount of blue-violet water pooling down into the rocks on the right side of the picture plane nicely balances the visual weight, and keeps the piece from being too severely cropped in half.   I’ve admired your darker raven and bird skeletal drawings for quite some time, but I notice a lighter mood and sensibility to this image, despite its rich earthy pigments.