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Big cats and sea turtles are some of my favorite subjects, so I was delighted to receive a commission request combining them in a single painting.

Since the final piece was to be 5" x 7" matted to 8" x 10", I didn't want to include the entire figure of each animal, choosing instead to focus on their faces. I created several loose composition sketches in pencil and ink, simplifying shapes carefully while still preserving the personality of each animal.

The client had suggested a green, gold/orange and purple color scheme which was a beautiful fit for these subjects. Not only are those colors attractive as the traditional secondary palette, but they could also be echoed across all three subjects. The tiger is predominantly gold/orange, with touches of purple shading. The snow leopard is low-saturation purple with green eyes, while the sea turtle is green with purple and orange accents. I made watercolor swatches to test how well the shades I'd picked related to each other.

Composition sketch and color swatches

Once approved, I made the final sketch on 300lb. watercolor paper. I prefer to preserve the energy and character of the original drawing by painting on it directly. Even my sketches for acrylic works are created on rice paper so the original drawing can be affixed directly to the canvas prior to painting.

The sketch highlights my drawing process - the form geometry with construction and symmetry lines is done first in light blue. The detail drawing is then done in graphite pencil.

Final sketch

In both watercolor and acrylic, I prefer building color through layered washes of pure tones rather than extensive palette mixing. This approach creates rich, luminous color while allowing subtle shifts between layers. On the tiger, for instance, the early washes were of Aussie Red Gold (similar to Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold). Later layers of purple added shadow. The background of light washes of Payne's Grey and Indigo tied the subjects together into the final painting.

Commissioned paintings are always a special experience. Instead of developing a piece and receiving feedback once it's complete, I receive input from the client at the beginning and at several review stages, creating a fun collaboration. This piece was no exception — I thoroughly enjoyed the process from the initial concept through the creative color scheme to the final product.

Final painting

For my presentation at the Museum of Life and Science “Bird Bonanza” event, I chose the theme of bird nesting. I’ve done some paintings on this subject over the years and have enjoyed exploring texture effects using modeling paste and glazed colors, as shown in this completed painting.

Snow Goose, acrylic and textural elements on canvas

Detail 

For this year’s event, I wanted to learn more about bird nest construction and materials. I recently read The Hummingbird’s Gift: Wonder, Beauty, and Renewal on Wings by Sy Montgomery, which describes the rescue of hummingbirds and includes some interesting details on nest construction. In addition to other materials, hummingbirds collect spiderweb silk to help create a soft, expandable structure for the eggs and hatchlings. The process is not without risk, as they can become entangled in the web.

I made a trip to the Naturalist Center and found a ruby-throated hummingbird nest. According to the specimen label, it was collected in Wake County in August 2006 after the chicks had fledged. The outside is "shingled" with lichen and the inside is soft fiber.

Ruby-throated hummingbird nest, Naturalist Center

My research always seems to lead me to a “next question”—in this case, why don’t the eggs or hatchlings get wrapped up in the silk? I found that the silk isn’t used in the lining of the nest, which is made of feathers and plant down. Instead, the spiderweb’s elasticity and strength help tie the structural elements of the nest together. By stretching and embedding the fibers among plant down, moss, and lichen, the hummingbird transforms a potentially adhesive material into a soft, flexible, and safe cradle for her chicks. What seemed a risky material choice turns out to be an elegant structural solution!

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird on Nest, watercolor on paper

I’m currently working on similar paintings of an Eastern bluebird and an Eastern screech owl, and am looking forward to discovering what “next questions” arise as I learn more about their nesting habits.