This weekend we are welcoming our new art show.
Alight:
Painted portraits of small song birds
By Suzanne Brooker
The artist’s reception is Saturday from 2 to 4 pm.
To get in the spirit, we’ll be pouring wines all day with birds on the labels.
Flock to the shop and check out the show.
Artist Statement:
When I began work on this series I didn’t realize how compelling painting birds would become. Everything about them is precise, from the shape and length of the beck to the complex layered pattern of their feathers. In contrast, a bird’s photograph will often show the background as vaguely blurred foliage that needed imaginative invention to succeed as a painted image. How could I keep the painting from becoming stiff and lifeless even if it meant losing some precision? I eventually settled on using smooth gesso boards which could hold all the finest details as the transparent layers of oil paint created a surface much like watercolor or egg tempera.
