The photo with this group of swans was intriguing to me because of the sharp contrast between the white of their feathers and the darker shadows. They are such elegant birds with their graceful movement and long necks. Swans play a big role in early mythology, and children of my era grew up listening to the tale of "The Ugly Duckling" a story of an outcast who later transformed into one of these beautiful creatures.
Sweet! lovely colors, very Springy!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sarah for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it very much! I visited your blog and am just blown away by the quality of your artwork. Can't wait to peruse your posts in further depth. Congratulations on the cover art placement for "The Bosque Beast." What an honor!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful painting of swans Carol! The green grass really pops out against the white swans. I grew up reading the story of the ugly duckling...always loved that story!
ReplyDeleteWeren't we lucky, Karen?! Thank you so much for your comment.
DeleteYou always have such a lovely balance in everything you paint. What I try to learn from you is your ability to make subtle transitions. There's a myriad in color transitions in the swans but they are all so soft we don't register them. It all works! And we're not aware. That's what I'm trying to learn now. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteOh Lorraine, thank you for such positive words. I was able to use some tubed paint by Charvin in those transition places that I normally don't use. They have the most intriguing names like Vert de Saint Remy, Linen Gray or Golden Shell. I collect them like candy.
DeleteThe composition is quite nice! And swans are so lovely and graceful aren't they? I used to watch them at the park where I lived and they were always a surprise to me.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Libby. You know in all the places we've lived there has been only one where swans live. I guess the climate in Seattle was the most accommodating towards them.
DeleteThey're definitely beautiful swans!! LOVE all the colors in this painting, Carol..and love the dark green background pulling the swans forward..Excellent.
ReplyDeleteHilda, thank you so much! Swans are very beautiful birds. They generally mate for life, but now and then they do "break up" mostly having to do with inability to lay eggs. They are so elegant!
DeleteThey look soft and downy, so many wonderful colours in their plummage, well painted Carol!lovely
ReplyDeleteThey are really beautiful and elegant, and I love all the colors you put into the white...even if the eye till reads it as white !
ReplyDeleteHi Jane,
DeleteI agree with your comment about white, and it was only after I started painting that I realized that. Now, it is unusual to use a pure white for anything - it always seems to have a tint of another color in it!
Dear Carol, I've been meaning to comment on your swans, but have been distracted doing other things since Easter. The reflected color in the swans makes them sparkle, must be all those "candy" colors you collect. I also noticed that you haven't posted anything for several weeks. I hope you are just taking a break and that everything is OK.
ReplyDeleteMelanie, thank you for writing. I appreciate the comment about the swans. White amazes me with the many colors (tints and shades) it can be. Plain old white just doesn't do it for me anymore. ;) As for the long absence, I send my apologies. I have been in a drought for awhile and have used some of the time to reread books and articles about painting. I know it doesn't compensate for actual painting time, but I'm hoping it will get me recharged. Thanks for asking.
DeleteDear Carol,
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to comment on your swans, but have been distracted with other things since Easter. The reflected color in the white of their feathers makes them sparkle; must be all those "candy" colors you collect. I've also noticed that you haven't posted for several weeks. I hope you are just taking a break and that everything is OK.
Beautiful and serene.
ReplyDelete