Camille Engel
Tennessee, USA, A Pause for Reflection, oil, 8 x 8" (20 x 20 cm)
My Inspiration
I love birds and I love to paint them! With feeders and birdbaths surrounding my home and painting studio, I have a daily cast of winged characters to inspire me. And while all birds are fascinating creatures, hummingbird characteristics make them astonishing, even to experienced birders. The opportunity to capture this sweet Allen’s hummingbird in my painting was delightful.
The smallest of birds, most hummingbirds measure 3 to 5 inches in length. Their brilliant throat color and iridescence is caused by the arrangement of their feathers... light level, moisture, angle of viewing, wear and tear and other factors all influence just how bright and colorful their throat may appear.
My Design Strategy
This painting is quite simplistic in its off-centered composition, yet detailed in my execution of the subjects. I knew I wanted the viewer’s eye to rest on my little hummingbird and the flower, so I chose to keep the background soft, contrasting in color and void of detail.
I was captivated by the way the light was playing with my subjects—highlighting his breast feathers and causing the flowers to seemingly glow, and the shadow cast by his beak onto his breast.
My Working Process
I’ve come to learn that my intuitive, selftaught style of painting is called “indirect painting” in which the final effects are built up gradually by placing several translucent layers of paint, one over the other, the upper layers modifying, but not altogether concealing, the lower layers. Many of the
Dutch Masters including Vermeer, Van Eyck, El Greco and Rembrandt utilized the optical effects of indirect processes.
Personally, I begin with many photographic references to study my subjects from all angles. I choose a blank white canvas or panel; sketch my subjects lightly with pencil either by hand or by the use of an autograph; spray fixative over my pencil sketch (otherwise the oil paint will wipe the pencil away); and begin my underpainting... then the five to seven (or more) subsequent layers until completion. This process creates an interesting depth of color and detail that I find pleasing.
Contact Details
» Email: camille@camille-engel.com
» Website: www.camille-engel.com