Saturday, February 15, 2014

BIRTHDAY CROW


Since I was going to be away on my actual birthday, I painted this crow before I left.  I wanted it to be my birthday painting so I splattered masking fluid (Pebeo Drawing Gum) and then lots of bright colors around to simulate confetti. 


Then I left town.


When I returned, I removed the masking fluid and colored in some of the white spots in yellow, just for fun.  So here is my 
Birthday Crow
Arches 140# cold press watercolor paper
Daniel Smith watercolors + Dr. Ph. Martin's Fine Art Watercolor

It's so dark from just 3 colors over the watercolor I did have on there = 
watercolor inks in Phthalo Blue + Deep Red Rose + Gamboge
(I bought the colors for a Myrna Wacknov workshop a year or so ago and didn't use all of the inks then so...time to get them out and make that crow really dark.)

My birthday is past, but I wanted to share my latest crow painting.  I've been hearing and seeing 5 crows flying over the house lately, cawing as they go :)
So many birds,
so little time!




15 comments:

Katherine Harra said...

Isn't the number of crows significant? No, I don't mean how many have you painted and how old are you! I mean I thought I remembered that two, or three, or four, or five each meant something. Maybe that's magpies.
DO you paint one for your birthday every year? How did that get started?

Studio at the Farm said...

LOVE your birthday crow, Rhonda! He looks so striking against the confetti background!
And thank you very much for your wonderful comment on my latest hydrangea. :)
Kathryn XX

Carol Blackburn said...

Well Happy Belated Birthday (not sure if I said it already). If I already wished you happy birthday it's ok, one can never have too many good wishes can they?

Your birthday crow is splendid and the shadow and reflected colors are super.

Lorraine Brown said...

Belated birthday wishes Rhonda, lovely darks achieved with you colours. Like your confetti look too

http://carolking.wordpress.com said...

Love This!!!! How fun. Happy Birthday (Belatedly).

hw (hallie) farber said...

I always like your crows.

Caroline Simmill said...

Your birthday crow is full of character and beautifully painted. I hope you had a lovely birthday Rhonda, best wishes to you.

Sadami said...

~(*o*)~ ♡○♡○♡○♡ʚ(ˆ◡ˆ)ɞ !!!!!

Unknown said...

This is a delightful painting, with the background and the crow conversing back and forth. I like the placement of the crow especially, it's very artistic. Happy belated birthday!

Autumn Leaves said...

Great shadow beneath and that confetti background is wonderful!! Makes the darkness associated with crows moot!

RH Carpenter said...

Hmm, don't know, but I'm sure you're right about the number, Katherine :) Time for a Google search? ha ha

Katheryn, thanks so much :) Loved that hydrangea painting!

Carol, thanks - no, one can never have too many good wishes!

Thanks so much, Lorraine, Hallie, Carol, Caroline, Sadami and Carol B :)

Thanks, Katherine :)

Sherry, it always bothers me the way film and t.v. people use crows for bad things coming - look out, spooky part coming, there are crows! Because they are scavengers, I guess. And perhaps because they are more interesting than buzzards? ha ha

RH Carpenter said...

Katherine, I paint something on my birthday every year but this is the first crow painting I've done on my birthday (actually 2 days before, but for my birthday).

Bruce Sherman said...

Belated Happy Birthday Rhonda! Never too late to add yet another bird study... even if it is "on the fly!" HA HA!!

An interesting effect with the inks. Really punches out the dark and always stark presence of the crow!

Good Painting!
Warmest regards,
Bruce

laura said...

Happy Birthday, Rhonda.
What great darks! So hard to do, and always so luscious and appealing when done with brio, as here!

RH Carpenter said...

Thanks, Bruce and Laura :) It's the watercolor "inks" that got the darks in this one because it just looked too wimpy against all the splattered color with just my first watercolor washes.