Little Green Heron

Droplets of water sparkle in the sunlight. A little green heron has just caught a fish. As quick as a wink, he sprang to the top of a bent reed... more

by AnnaJo Vahle

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Price

Not Specified

Dimensions

24.000 x 18.000 x 0.250 inches

Title

Little Green Heron

Artist

AnnaJo Vahle

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Hardwood Board

Description

Droplets of water sparkle in the sunlight. A little green heron has just caught a fish. As quick as a wink, he sprang to the top of a bent reed with his catch. His colors mimic the reeds around him. His breast is deep red and his wings are a deep green. The wing feathers are outlined with white. He has patches of brilliant yellow around his yellow-orange eyes and dark beak. His legs are yellowish orange. The surface of the water is covered with duck weed. Bits of the duck weed stuck to his fish and beak.

This is my first painting on a gesso masonite board. I used acrylic paints. I found it quite different from my usual painting support, which is stretched canvas. Because of the smooth surface, I automatically painted with quite a lot of detail. This patterned bird made for a complicated subject. This is one of the reasons that I kept the surrounding area relatively simple in composition.

I based this painting on a series of photographs I took at the Viera Wetlands in Florida. Lying on my belly just a few feet away, this usually shy bird allowed me to get up close and personal. I was absolutely thrilled and enchanted as I realized that he used tools for fishing!

He dropped little pieces of flotsam and reeds down to the water's surface. When fish swam up to the surface to investigate the lure, he dropped down quickly and made his capture. I never saw him miss. Because of the reeds and the duck weed, I wasn't able to get a perfectly clear capture of him without something obscuring him or part of him. For this reason, I used several of the photographs to figure out all the details. I made up the pose for the most part and certainly the background.

Uploaded

December 1st, 2013