New wildlife bird painting on the easel

As an artist, it might surprise some that spending a lot of time on my computer is essential when preparing for my next composition. Before I can actually sit down and paint, I sort through the thousands of digital photographs I have taken and then sometimes need to combine and manipulate the images using Photoshop until a suitable pose is reached.  I also spend a lot of time out in the field, researching, collecting and taking photographs of whatever plant, animal or scene that might inspire a future painting.

The following work in progress features a green heron in breeding plumage. The reference photographs were taken while camping in St Augustine , FL. I would wake up early each morning before the majority of humans were out and about and when the creatures were still active, and left with 2 cameras in hand... I can spend hours in the field observing and photographing my subjects so loosing track of time is a common occurrence. The adult heron in the painting was watching over her brood which had fledged the nest and were perched hiding amongst the mangroves.