Speckled Rooster 8

© Ellen Blonder

I spent all day working on the upper left corner of the painting. I don't know what the giant-leaved plant is, but I loved its ridges and cupped shape. The tree trunk is something I saw covered with moss, then planted with staghorn and other ferns. 

Speckled Rooster 7 - Anthuriums

© Ellen Blonder

The last couple of days, I've been working on the anthuriums in the lower left corner. They're actually darker, but I took some artistic license. I may mute them after I've gotten more painted.

Speckled Rooster 6

© Ellen Blonder

Now that the rooster is pretty much done, I can start on the flora. This guy was fun to paint because there was so much going on with his feathers.

Speckled Rooster 5 - Head and Feet

© Ellen Blonder

 © Ellen Blonder

Working on the head and feet details before I tackle the feathered body. 

Speckled Rooster 4 - Tail Details

© Ellen Blonder

This rooster has a great tail, with mixed-up black and white feathers, and a few red-tipped ones. It makes for fun painting, even if the rooster looks like a bit of a mutt.

Speckled Rooster 3

© Ellen Blonder

Now the fun begins, layering on more opaque paints. This is the last two days' work. The plants all around include anthurium in the lower left corner and a red heliconia. 

Speckled Rooster 2

© Ellen Blonder

This is a quick underpainting of the setting I want for the rooster. With all of his color, I want a pretty dark background.

Speckled Rooster 1

© Ellen Blonder

It's time to paint another rooster. I saw this guy in a parking lot last year in Kapa'a, Kauai, and was impressed by his speckles and white striped tail. I'm working on a 16 x 20-inch canvas.

Daphne - Final

© Ellen Blonder

Here's Daphne, finished, in her new setting. It turned out to be a daunting challenge to paint a white bird and still show feather details. 

postscript: Oh, dear, visiting her today, a fellow visitor told me "she" turned out to be a "he." And he/she is a much warmer white than I painted, so I may revisit this painting after I let it sit a while.

Daphne 4

© Ellen Blonder

The last couple of days, I've concentrated on background details.

Daphne 3

© Ellen Blonder

I think I'll add a heliconia for a hit of color, but not too much. I've also added some detail to the leaves on the right.

Daphne 2

© Ellen Blonder

Wandering through McBryde Garden, part of the National Tropical Botanical Gardens, I saw many places where I could situate Daphne, but it's a small painting, and I want her to remain the focus. 

Daphne 1

© Ellen Blonder

Daphne is a cockatoo who spends many of her days on her perch at the Kong Lung Historic Market Center in Kilauea, Kauai. She has played catch with me, and I once observed her enjoying a long neck-scratching by an indulgent shopper. Daphne belongs to the owner of Kong Lung Trading, always a must-see place for its thoughtful selection of beautiful things.

I've long wanted to paint Daphne in acrylics, so here she is on an 8x10-inch canvas board after a couple of days. I think I want to give her a vacation and put her somewhere a bit fanciful.

Is This a Protea?

© Ellen Blonder

Along with the anthurium (see other post from today), the cheese tray was adorned with this flower. I think Jackie said it was a "topika," but I couldn't find a reference to any such word. It looks like it's some kind of protea, perhaps, and she said it grows inland and at altitude in Kauai. Anyone know more?

Anthurium in My Sketchbook

© Ellen Blonder

My friend Jackie brought this to a dinner recently, garnishing a tray of cheese and crackers. I decided to try out my new Moleskine watercolor sketchbook paper with a painting of this. It's pretty impossible to capture the red to green transition.