Framed oil painting

10 x 12 (image size) oil on board

Taking Flight is all about capturing that moment when the bird is startled or has decided it's time to move on.  For me the moment is bittersweet.  On the one hand, I enjoy watching and photographing Blue Herons so much I hate for the bird to fly away.  On the other hand, I find the taking flight moment exhilarating as a photographer/artist.  Many times I miss the shot, but this time I was very happy with the outcome.

I worked at darkening down the heavily wooded background enough to give it a density.  At the same time, I worked at giving the woods an airiness by lighting up the leaves.  I tried to put a spotlight on the bird, so to speak.

In order to help accentuate the movement in the large wingspan, I used quick dashes to create the leaves closest to the bird.

To read the backstory behind this painting click here.