Avian Architecture - The One That Got Away!

Sandhill Crane Nest

Oil on Canvas 48x36in
This is the large painting for my show which did not
make it.

Artist Note.
I know there are other artist who go through this ordeal
 - this is for them!


A bit about the real nest first.
This is a marvelous type of nest. The old reeds are pulled
and bent over to form the base bringing it gradually
up over the water level. This clears an area around it.
The new reeds come up through and around
the nest providing shelter. The nest the
ranger showed me did not have eggs so I researched
and found out they plop two or three eggs right on top.


Here is my struggle and how I unfortunately kept making changes...

The first stage completed below.
The idea was to let the paint dry then make subtle color changes.

I managed to use the fracturing technique and used
proportionally larger tools than normal for this
enormous canvas...remember I work daily on 8x6in.
When I left this to go to bed I remember thinking
of the small adjustments it needed and was quite satisfied.

THEN, in bed, the dreaded, critical brain started...

It is such a dark painting - why not place more light through the
reeds? Of course - this was a great idea and I got excited.
Up at 4:30 in the morning and started to
make the change below.

Then I saw the nest went all the way across and decided
it needed to change from this below

To this.

Then I started looking at the way the reeds hit the water.
They were like a giant scallion - whitish base with
many green fronds coming out of it. On the one below
several seemed to line up too much in a line.

So following my traitor of a mind, I made corrections.

Making each of these changes I found I was getting tighter
and tighter also making numerous little adjustments.
Two eggs not three.
Color changes
Each frond of the reeds started to get painted. Look at the first
attempt at how the reeds were suggested to the final one.
I was refining way too much - ending up with a painting
painted in a manner I did NOT want to paint in.
Does that make sense to you? Can you relate?
Every time I saw it I would make another change, and by
now all the fracturing technique and vibrant color had
disappeared. I knew I had to do something drastic to stop
keep trying to save it. So I put my razor through it.
A great big cut from corner to corner and with gritted teeth
I pulled that sucker apart and felt so much better after
doing it. Now I was free to start a new one.

Several valuable things I learned from this.
I was painting with a deadline for a show - never good!
I was trying to save a 40 buckaroos canvas - never good!
I did NOT do my usual mission sheet - never good!
I listened to a critique from someone who likes
photographic realism rather than impressionism. - not good.
(they LOVED the end result)
I fiddled with it way too much. NEVER EVER GOOD!
This one is the most important
I should always have some sense of "liking" a painting I have done.

My next one, same size, I like much better. I managed to keep
some of my fracturing style in it. This time I did my homework
and did my mission statement. I stopped allowing my mind
to think about it in bed.
It was finished in a quarter of the time the other one took. This time
I sent images to my daughter who is absolutely the  best at critiquing my work.
I am bummed about the grainy quality as my camera is in the shop
and this was my best shot with phone. Either I was too far away
because of the size or the lens must have had a film on it.
I will take another one when I get my Nikon back.