He was racing the chicken!
Lol! Very lame indeed... As was my progress on the swamphen.
Was I hoping to share the final piece with you today? Yes.
Did Life happen and I ran out of time and headspace? Double yes!
For now, all I can share is this: A strange half-chicken, floating on a still very, very empty page…
Although I’m disappointed at not finishing yet, it’s nice to share this little glimpse into the complex and lengthy development of one of my wildlife paintings:
The moorhen’s face is pretty close to completion. Its neck and belly are about halfway - the base-coat is down, but I still need to add a fair amount of detail. Its thigh is a step behind - if you compare this with the neck, for example, you’ll see that the level of detail an colour-intensity is definitely lacking.
And finally, its footsie is still at what I call “The Ugly Phase”… I’ve added a few washes of colour, but it still looks messy and strange. There is lots of work to still be done before twinkle toes will twinkle!
The swamphen and I will have to challenge the chicken to a rematch! ;)
PS. The sensational reference photo for this piece was expertly captured (and shared with permission!) by Albert Froneman.
Interested in seeing some of the paintings that I did manage to finish? Visit my online store!
