I was watching a Karen Margulis video this morning for inspiration and, huzzah! it worked! I picked out a photo of the Julington Durbin Preserve and did a quick pastel study. So very satisfying. It’s a great way to begin the day. Short, sweet and not nit-picky at all.
Eagle study 3, 6×9″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia
Today’s eagle sketch was made while watching this long-suffering bird snapping at flies that were after his/her partially finished meal. I decided to zoom in a bit on the head of the eagle. I’m learning more and more about what shapes make up an eagle’s head the more that I do this. And it’s fun!
It’s also tricky, because, unlike a model, who gets paid to hold a pose until the timer goes off, I never know what this bird is going to do next. For instance, right after I finished the preliminary sketch in pink, the bird got up and rearranged itself and I had to decide whether I had enough information to try to finish what I’d started. Turns out, I had enough, and happily, the eagle eventually returned to its original spot. By then, of course, the sun had gotten higher in the sky and the shadows had changed, but that’s life!
The internet can be magical. This morning I was wondering what to paint for a quick study and then I remembered the Eagle Cam that was featured on the npr website and voila! I had a subject all ready for me.
I put down my oatmeal, grabbed my pastels and a piece of paper and had about five minutes before she/he got up and presented me with a different view. I quit then because my breakfast was getting cold. Here’s the result from this morning. I think I’ll go back again this evening and see what kind of light is available when the sun is on other other side.
Eagle Nesting, study, 6×9″ pastel on paper by Marie Marfia
It got me thinking that there are probably a million web cams pointing to interesting scenes from all over the world. I don’t have to fly anywhere to find something to paint. I can sit at my monitor and pick something at random.
Another in the series of human bones. It reminds me of a butterfly from this angle or maybe a ram’s skull or a bird in flight.
Someone asked me today why I paint skeletons and bones. My first thought was, they make me laugh. Well, these don’t exactly make me laugh, but they are a challenge.
Bones. You think you know them, but you don’t, really. They’re hidden from your sight, unless you’re a surgeon or you happen to see someone’s broken bones or you look at them on an x-ray. Even then, they’re not your bones.
Bones are what I hang my me on. Without them, I’d be a puddle of flesh on the floor. I don’t give my bones enough credit for holding me up, giving me shape, form. But they’re there, inside, doing a lot of hard work. And they’ll still be there, long after I’m gone. Bones last.
Here’s a link to another pelvis sketch.
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