Getting The Bird -- Pappagallo.. A Figurative Oil by Marian Fortunati

 

	Pappagallo © Marian Fortunati 18"x14" Oil on Canvas Panel
	Donated for the Mystery Masterpiece Show at Studio Channel Islands Art Center in Camarillo September, 2012

A Moving Target
A few weeks ago in David Gallup's Monday "Master's Class" one of the other students brought in one of her birds.   It was a very young rosy-breasted cockatoo and it was wonderful.   Painting something that really doesn't pose was a bit different for me.  Although the bird was really quite good, and often stayed in the same position for a relatively long time, it wasn't always the same position I had chosen to paint.  So I had to "wing it".   (Pun intended.)

David's demo start

Demo
The other students had painted birds before, but I hadn't so I asked David to do a demo.  Those are always inspirational and demoralizing at the same time.  He makes everything look so easy when it's usually far from easy for me.  Happily, he is very good about explaining why he is doing what he is doing WHILE he is doing it.

Naming The Bird
All of us were trying to decide whether the bird was a female or male.   Apparently you have to be another bird or do a genetic test to tell.  At first we were calling it "Rosie".  But then someone thought it might be a male so we started calling it "Pink Floyd".   By the end of the day it was simply named Floyd.

The day flew by.   I wasn't unhappy with my work, but it was dingy and didn't seem to have enough contrast.   Today I took it out and decided... What the heck.   I corrected some of the values and colors in the bird.   Then I took the background and just had fun with color and paint.  I rather liked how it ended up.  

Upcoming Fun Event!
The Art Center up there is a wonderful place.  It used to be an elementary school and has been converted by the city of Camarillo to be art studios and a great place for classes for children and adults.  I have many friends with studios there and that is where I take my classes with David unless we're doing plein air.   They have a fund raiser coming up and have asked some really phenominal artists for donations of paintings to an event called Mystery Masterpiece.   Those who buy tickets will get a number indicating in which order they can choose which UNSIGNED painting they want.   Mine will be one of them...  But as I said... some of the donors are very well known and absolutely wonderful artists, so it should be a fun event.   Maybe you'd like to go.

Comment on or Share this Article >>