Sweet Treat

As I finished painting "Sweet Treat I" and "Sweet Treat II", ice glazed my front steps and my poor dog skidded down the back ones.  I am ready for the warmth that brings these jewel-like birds to my kitchen window!  These two paintings are a re-visit of two that I painted at the beginning of last year,  but this time I used a smooth panel for my painting surface and a new palette of colors.

Here's one of the original photos from my kitchen window:

Step 1, sketched with pastel pencil on a 6x6 panel (and flowers, instead of a feeder):

Step 2:  Quickly covered the sketch with paint so that it wouldn't wipe away easily

Step 3:  Covered the background with a dark transparent green mix and a quick-drying medium

and then covered the bird and plant with transparent colors in the same family of colors that I wanted to see in my final painting.  My palette currently consists of Michael Harding paints in Ultramarine Blue, Indian Yellow, Permanent Rose, and Zinc White

While the medium was still wet, I laid on thicker layers mixed with zinc white.  

Here is this year's version of "Sweet Treat I", 6x6 Oil

and its companion piece, "Sweet Treat II", 6x6 Oil

They look great together :)

Click here for more information and to see them on my website.