How Great Thou Art ~ The Great Blue Heron!
One of my favorite duets is How Great Thou Art by Carrie Underwood and Vince Gill. I first became familiar with the song being an Elvis fan. I’ve been learning to play this Christian hymn on my saxophone so it has been in my head as of late. It is a powerful song, telling the story of a sudden storm coming in with roaring thunder and lightning, quickly subsiding into a beautiful calm. It speaks to the power and the glory of God.
Whenever I’m out birding and photographing the Great Blue Heron I think of them as one of God’s most amazing creatures. Its large size is always so impressive in flight. It has a giant wingspan of 5.5 to 6.5 feet! The Great Blue Heron makes its presence known, you might say, with a mighty roar (squawk), only to stand in solitude for sometimes hours, calmly, taking in the surrounding sights and sounds.
One of my first heron portraits I entitled The Great One. It was purchased by someone who also appreciates the magnificence of this prehistoric looking creature. It was the Great Blue Heron that stimulated my initial interest in birding. I was fascinated by seeing them in flight.
The Great One William R. Beebe 24 x 24 Oil on canvas SOLD
Today I was out birding and I had several chances to admire them in flight. As I looked back at my pictures How Great Thou Art popped into my head. Greatness is what I see. Along with being beautiful creatures, they are known for their prowess as great hunters.
This one particular image I thought stood out. It is dramatic with strong sunlight highlighting the bird against the dark background. It also gives you a good look at the colorful large feather pattern on the 6 foot wingspan. They can fly low to the water with ease, intensely focused on its flight pattern. The strong reflection lets you know that there is water below. As big as they are they have an uncanny ability to navigate safely with their built in radar, whether it is low to the surface of the water or high up into the trees.
GBH Flyby!
Last year was my “year of the pelican”. I’m hoping 2025 will become “the year of the Great Blue Heron”. I’m planning on painting a number of GBHs in a variety of settings, working from my thousands of photos that I’ve taken over the years.
I have several GBH originals for sale along with several giclées on our website. Thank you for your interest in my artwork and for reading my blog!
“One of the joys of being an artist is having the freedom to follow my passion….”
What’s next?
Drawing by William R. Beebe