Janetta Gee

Louisiana, USA, Brilliance, oil, 20 x 16" (51 x 41 cm)

My Inspiration

As a nature artist, I have always been captivated by all avian species. I felt compelled to paint these macaws after hours of observation as an inspiring challenge to capture their expressive faces as well as the striking, jewel-tone coloring of their feathers, which in turn inspired the title, Brilliance.

My Design Strategy

To achieve the maximum focus on the subjects, I opted to eliminate the background. This also served to enhance the colors of the macaws. The design is balanced in form with each bird facing opposite ways. Although the viewer’s focus may be drawn to the bright primary coloring of the scarlet macaw on the left, the structure of the branch pulls the focus around to the complimentary coloring of the military macaw. My overall aim was to create a painting that would resonate unity and harmony.

My Working Process

I selected my two best observational sketches of each macaw and married them to produce the overall image. I used a thin wash of burnt umber to lay in the darker areas and followed with my first layer of color. I completed the faces first to capture the “life” of each bird and then proceeded to work sections of feathers by layering colors, working from dark to light. My final layer consisted of the details of shafts, shadows and highlights. The overall time for completing this painting was approximately one month.

Contact Details

» Email: ravenstudio@aol.com