Studio Easy Hearts - Birds

To order or inquire about a painting please e-mail jenibate@jenibate.com

These are some of the bird paintings I have done over the last few years. These days I paint few birds except as commissions. However, birds remain a constant source of joy in my life and painting your favorite bird or birds, whether a wild bird or a pet, would be a pleasure.

Baby Grebe This litte grebe is painted in acrylic on the smooth side of a bamboo leaf.
	Black Headed Phoebe The photograph of the phoebe from which I worked was had the bird amidst foliage. I moved him onto a simple branch in this watercolor so he would stand out.
Black Necked Stilt The Black Necked Stilt is a favorite bird of mine; we have many of them here on the Salton Sea. This little guy, however was in the Aquarium of the Pacific, in Long Beach, and it was the first stilt I ever saw!
	Black Necked Stilt This stilt is painted in acrylic on palm bark. It's an interesting surface to paint on, but the final product is a challenge to hang. I presented this one in a shadow box.
Blue Heron This heron posed for me to photograph in Monterey. It's one of the few birds that I have seen both in Europe and the US.
	But Mommy, it's wet! The baby grebe looks like he is not going to like to swim. This watercolor was done from a photograph where the bird occupied about 5% of the space in the center.
Flamingo I love the way the light across the bird close to sunset brings out the texture in the feathers.
	His heart full of song A white-crowned sparrow sings on a branch. He was so involved in his song he did not notice me attempting to take his photo, reloading film or changing lenses to get the best shot.
King of the Ocotillo I believe this is a Loggerhead Shrike, but am not certain. Another bird so involved in music that he tolerated my creeping towards him until I could get a good shot. He is painted in acrylic on the rough side of a bamboo leaf.
	Me and my shadow A shore bird contemplates the tide on Dume Cove in Malibu.
Pair of Posers These two macaws in Santa Barbara zoo were accustomed to the camera. They changed positions every time I took a shot so I could get a different pose. When I had to stop shooting to reload film, they flew off in disgust.
	Parrot Drinking Another Santa Barbara zoo resident, thirsty, with a brightly colored tail.
Scarlet Macaw This guy was not afraid of humans - there would be no need, with a beak like that! Brings a whole new meaning to finger food.
	Sleepy Pigeon I was trying to sneak up on a mixed group of birds in Monterey - geese, ducks, gulls, pigeons - but they wouldn't let me get close. Eventually this one pigeon took a few steps towards me and posed with the sunlight sparking off pink fragments in his plumage. We left after I had completed a few shots and I figure the other birds were happy he took one for the team!
Starling I've painted this guy a couple of times, but here he is in acrylic. (It's a lot easier to do feathers in watercolor!)
	Sunny This was my little baby. Sunny was an escapee who stayed for a few years with a family that he adopted at their yard sale. When they could no longer keep him, my room mate brought him home for me. I had him for about two years until my life changed to involve too much travel. He stayed with my former art teacher for the rest of his life.
Who are you looking at? I have never been able to identify this bird. I crept up on him on the beach in Monterey. He kept looking over at me as I snuck up on him struggling to balance on the thin branch waving around in the breeze.
	Afternoon Nap Ah, yes I have perfected the craft of sneaking up on birds when they're sleeping. The sneak up and the camera definately beats Audubon's method.