#2761 "Cardinal Song"

#2716 "Cardinal Song"
14x11 inches oils on canvas

I needed another painting to pair with #2736 "Sour Grapes Male Cardinal". Everything needs a friend including art. 

My Brother and bride had been encouraging me to return to wildlife art. Bruce Sherman, my Grade Seven teacher emphatically encouraged me to concentrate on wildlife after seeing #0554 "Sharp Stare!" nearly completed on my easel at Watershed Farm in 2001. He said: "That's what you should be doing, Phil!". I always respected Bruce's opinions. Bruce was the friend who started me on the plein air path. I thought that maybe I should return to some detailed art after some very loose canvases. 

The winter storms and brutal wind chills of January 2023 also encouraged me to spend more time in the Singleton Sanctuary Studio in front of the wood stove with the tunes on the stereo. As well, variety can be a good exercise even though diversity always confused the galleries and dealers. I did not really care about potentially confusing anyone as one must paint for themselves.

I also photograph the back of each painting for my
records to be complete. Each painting is a special memory.

I used a lot of paint on this canvas. The cardinal needed extra body and strength. This particular bird also had some attitude and that needed to come through. The male cardinal was a fiery, brilliant red individual singing of spring in a twisted thicket of greens.

This particular work is based on a terrific photo taken by my friend and naturalist John Verburg. John has graciously encouraged me to work from any of his fine images that chronicle the precious natural environment of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. John has a gift for capturing the essence as well as the beauty of nature. Achieving these images requires more than skill and knowledge of optics and modern camera technology but also considerable patience waiting for that special moment. Our desire is that upon viewing nature through his photographs and perhaps my art, more people will appreciate the vital importance of protecting the natural world. A healthy habitat takes thousands of years to develop but can be irretrievably destroyed in brief hours under the guise of development. Thank you John.

For this and much more art, click on Pixels.

Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick