Day 3 - A Gift from the Welkin

 Hello :) It's day 3 of the 30 day challenge and I'm going another round with the Simple gifts idea.. This one is titled "A Gift From the Welkin" and shows a Kingly but pensive Lion, possibly unaware of the gift he is being given by this benevolent cardinal.. 

"A Gift From the Welkin", oil, 9x12, click here for purchasing details

Incidentally, welkin is an old word meaning 'sky', or 'heavens'.  I thought it fit in the title of this one, what, with the imagery of the cardinal just about to place a star on the Lion's crown.. Of course the Lion has rich symbolism in many cultures, which I won't go into here.. This lion is whatever he is to you..

 While I was painting him, his expression just kind of became lost in thought.. and slightly unaware of the gift he is about to receive... Which made me think about the fact that sometimes in life we receive gifts but don't realize we are receiving them at the time.. These are gifts from the heavens.. be on the look out for them because everybody gets them :)

Day 12 - Tea for Two

I have painted so many birds in my career as an oil painter.. but it's so strange that I don't think of myself as a painter of birds.  It's just that they often seem like the right thing to add into a composition.  They are often colorful, which makes it easy and fun to choose the perfect accent.  In addition, they are perchable, flyable, poseable, come in all sizes and add life to what could otherwise be a 'dead' composition... And, birds are revered by cultures the world round.. they appear in stories both ancient and new, as symbols, talismans, spirit guides and companions helping to weave a story within my work ..So Versatile are birds that no wonder they end up in many of my paintings! 

Cardinals are brilliant and very common here in PA.  Whenever I see one, I think of the belief that, when you see a cardinal, you are seeing a messages from loved ones who have passed and they are letting us know they are here, checking in... true or not, it is always soothing the soul to think about.

This cardinal is joined by an even smaller brilliant friend, perhaps a message to the cardinal, or perhaps coming in for a sip..  And so it is a cup of Tea for Two..

"Tea for Two", oil on panel, 8"x8", click here for purchasing details

27 Cardinal Smile

I love the subtlety of colors in female cardinals.  No, they don't have the impact and punch of a bright red male, but the female's colors are just as beautiful, if not even more so... to me anyway!  This little girl looked happy to me, so I enhanced her smile a bit from the original reference photo.... just to add a little happiness to your day.  Have a nice rest of the weekend!

Cardinal Smile, oil on panel, 6" x 6"
to purchase, please click here