This little hummer is from a photo my husband took awhile back. He commented that it's unusual for a hummingbird to sit still for as long as it took to get the photo. I just fell in love with him sitting out by himself so dignified and tiny. I liked the rock star spiked hair (feathers) on top.
I worked this on a piece of black Art Spectrum paper. I liked the way the pastel let some of the black show through. It worked well on the body of the bird as there were black specks showing through in the original photo. I then decided to see what would happen if I scumbled color in the background. I didn't have any iridescent pastels, but I think the turquoise and gold pastels worked nearly as well to add a bit of shine. I think an off-white mat or double-mat would add a light border around the painting, then maybe a thin wood frame around it all.
"Black Tie" is part of the DPW auction to help with Hurricane Sandy relief. 100% of the sale of this painting will be given to the American Red Cross to help with this effort.
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/carol-flatt-1045
