Spring is for the Birds
Spring in Florida is the time to start getting back outside and doing some plein air painting, sketching, and bird watching. January and February can be (relatively) chilly in Florida, but Spring can start as early as the middle of February. I recently visited the Venice Rookery, and watched the herons and egrets flying in and out of the mangrove islands. In a month or so, the mangrove will be filled with nests and adorable, fuzzy babies. I look forward to sketching them from life and taking new reference photos.
Snowy Egrets, a Great Blue Heron, and an old nest
Meanwhile, I've been making some loose, splashy watercolors of birds from my reference photos. I like to combine accurate details with areas of wet, drippy paint. Watercolor is an ideal medium for this type of bird painting.
Waiting for Dinner, watercolor, 10x8
A Golden Morning, watercolor, 7x5
My next outdoor adventure will be a plein air session in the amazing Myakka River State Park. Stay tuned!
