Sunday, 16 June 2013

Pink and Grey Galahs

                                          Acrylic on board 15cm x 15cm (6" x 6")

I'm finding it very hard to get around to painting as often as I'd like to. I feel there are so many things I should  - and want - to be doing that I don't know where to start. In the end I often don't start at all. Thankfully, I did finally begin working on a painting yesterday. I painted for an hour or so but the sunshine was calling my name, so I gardened for a couple of hours before returning to paint for another hour. I have just spent 2 more hours on it today. I have worked from a photo I posted a few months ago. I have always liked the photo but hadn't intended to paint from it as it was already a piece of art, but in my sluggish mental state, it looked like an easy option.

I should know by now that no subject matter is an easy option. It was a painstaking task to get the angles and stance correct on these cheeky birds to capture their quintessential galahishness. Or should that be galah-ity? Their antics do inspire hilarity!
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31 comments:

  1. Celia Blanco17 June 2013 at 00:21

    Hi Wendy,I am having the same problem. Sometimes painting just takes a back seat.
    I love this painting! Gorgeous work on the wood texture and on capturing their playfulness!

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    1. Wendy Barrett20 June 2013 at 17:35

      Thanks Celia! You had such a prolific spell recently it's not surprising if you find your pace slows for a bit. If I go for a few weeks without painting I remind myself that it's not so long ago that I went 7 years without painting!
      Love your blue bird!

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  2. Unknown17 June 2013 at 05:53

    That's a really creative composition, though, and an exciting angle, looking up under the birds. I love the smoothness and calm that this piece conveys, with the movement of the lines and the gentle colors. It all ties together so nicely!

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    1. Wendy Barrett20 June 2013 at 17:45

      Thanks so much Katherine. It's nice to hear that you think it evokes peacefulness. It made me look at it with that angle in mind and I realised that for me, the vast blue sky inspires a feeling of spaciousness and calm. It's nice to look at it from a different emotional angle thank you!

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  3. art by Michael Perchard17 June 2013 at 06:45

    Wendy!
    So good! So very good! I can hear them way over here in US. Great painting and great skill!
    I have this David Lynch quote up on my studio wall, "To get in one good hour of painting one needs four hours of uninterrupted time!"
    Good luck! Please make time to paint!
    Love the birds and the bark of the wood!
    G'Day Mate!
    Michael

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    1. Wendy Barrett20 June 2013 at 18:08

      Thankyou Michael, I love your David Lynch quote! It is good to have helpful quotes to hand when wrangling with paint. I heard some pink and greys whistling outside as they flew past on the morning I began my painting. They must have been doing a fly over in appreciation of what was to come!!
      Thanks for your enthusiasm!
      Wendy

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  4. Anonymous17 June 2013 at 10:12

    Aw Wendy, they're so beautiful and so sweet!! What a wonderful painting. Excellent work on the bird's expression, their feathers and the structure of the wood.
    Love this painting very much!!

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    1. Wendy Barrett20 June 2013 at 21:12

      Thanks so much Hilje, I always value your comments. It's great to hear which aspects of the painting appeal to you.

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  5. Jane17 June 2013 at 14:48

    This is outstanding Wendy, the color of the birds is great and the tree trunk is so well made an looking so real ! I haven't used my acrylics for a while, but this really got me inspired !

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    1. Wendy Barrett20 June 2013 at 21:10

      That is such a compliment Jane, Thankyou!
      I hope you do drag those acrylics out again someday, I would love to see what you create. You certainly know how to get wonderful expressions into your watercolour portraits!

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  6. Dave Wessels19 June 2013 at 07:33

    Hi Wendy, Love your painting!
    It's amazing the variety of tropical birds you have down under, I have to visit the zoo before I'm able to see such lovely animals, let alone paint them! Ah, these birds weren't meant to kept inside, you can tell by how loud they are! Haha... Love the colors, you've captured their behaviour very well, very into them selves and still, not shy of a few jokes among friends!

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    1. Wendy Barrett20 June 2013 at 21:21

      Thank you for the great comments Dave! Yes we certainly have a large variety of colourful parrots and galahs and cockatoos. Their colours definitely look like they belong in the tropics, but we actually have a drier heat and a less lush landscape than what you would find in the tropics of Australia.
      I appreciate you visiting my blog!

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  7. Unknown19 June 2013 at 09:30

    Hi Wendy! I think it's definately ghalaishness....ha hah ha! This is SUCH an excellent composition and the harmony you have achieved in the painting of it is wonderful! Not one part of it 'jumps', but instead it has a wise, peaceful, watchful calm feeling to it. I think you have really captured the spirit of the Ghalas. Great job.
    and you know...we all WISH we painted more, but life is there to be enjoyed fully...i think it's just the best to paint a little then break, then paint a little more whenever you can find a few moments worth snatching. your passion for painting definately shows.

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    1. Wendy Barrett20 June 2013 at 21:26

      Thanks Sally, I really loved your comments! You would remember the galahs and cockatoos well no doubt!
      You are quite right, I must enjoy the times when I do paint and not gnash my teeth when I don't. If I'm not painting I may well be writing which is equally enjoyed.
      You have certainly been very prolific lately - such beautiful work!

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  8. Laura Leeder21 June 2013 at 16:27

    A beautiful painting Wendy. I've never heard of these birds before and what an interesting color!

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    1. Wendy Barrett21 June 2013 at 19:17

      Thanks for the kind comment Laura. The birds are native to Australia.

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  9. Karen Johnston Daily Paintings21 June 2013 at 17:48

    This is cool Wendy... a great composition! My Grandmother used to have one of these birds.
    I have been a bit slow myself lately, I think it's because I have so many subjects I want to paint. I have to sort out which ones I have a real emotional connection with...never easy!!

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    1. Wendy Barrett21 June 2013 at 19:18

      Thanks so much Karen! You always make a great choice when you do choose. Your thistles are eye popping!!

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  10. Marian Fortunati22 June 2013 at 10:56

    Wow, Wendy... I just dropped by for a visit and am blown away!! Your work is gorgeous!! I had to look really closely because at first I thought your painting was a photo!!!
    WOW!!! Beautifully done...

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    1. Wendy Barrett25 June 2013 at 08:05

      Thanks so much for visiting Marian - and for your wonderfully positive comments.

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  11. Helen Cooper22 June 2013 at 22:06

    This is stunning! I love the composition, the log, the birds and colours. So glad you finally got around to it!!!

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    1. Wendy Barrett25 June 2013 at 08:07

      Thanks so much Helen! I love what you did with your green pear challenge!

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  12. Robin Rosenthal26 June 2013 at 03:51

    I love the perspective, colors and composition. Glad you got around to painting these fun birds.

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  13. Unknown2 July 2013 at 04:07

    Beautiful Painting, nice colour scheme ,texture....

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  14. Wendy Barrett3 July 2013 at 04:53

    Thanks so much for visiting Satpal and for your lovely comment.

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  15. art by Michael Perchard4 July 2013 at 07:09

    Good morning Wendy!
    Thank you so much for your "Happy Fourth Of July" message. So very thoughtful! Made my day!
    This art blogging thing certainly makes the world a much smaller and happy place!
    Thanks Mate!
    Cobber Michael

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  16. Heather31 July 2013 at 07:37

    I love it! The birdies are adorable! I know how you feel, I'm the same way - some days I just don't feel like painting! It's been a little over a year that I've been doing art full time, and I'm just starting to be able to "force" myself to paint. It gets easier to force myself the more I do it, if that makes sense.

    One thing that has helped me is that when I DO feel inspired and have all these amazing ideas, I draw them out in my sketchbook. Then when I totally feel NOT inspired, I look through the sketchbook and find one of those ideas and pick one, and paint it! It helps a lot for me! Because looking at my old grand ideas, I get all excited again and then I paint one.

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  17. Remrov31 August 2013 at 14:40

    Very beautiful!
    Great work!

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    1. Wendy Barrett31 August 2013 at 17:34

      Thanks so much for visiting Heidi, and for your lovely comments. I have just looked at your blog - your artwork is stunning!!!

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    2. Wendy Barrett31 August 2013 at 17:34

      Thanks so much for visiting Heidi, and for your lovely comments. I have just looked at your blog - your artwork is stunning!!!

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