Swans

Stratford Ontario Swan Lake, Two Adult Swans 7 x 8" cold press, watercolour, 2004 

 Learning how to paint wildlife on location is a challenge because animals rarely stay still. In the last blog I did a painting on location with some mallard ducks, but I only got to see them for about 10 seconds, and had to complete the scene from memory. I also did a painting of swans in Denmark.On a trip to Stratford Ontario some time ago, I took a number of pictures of the river and its numerous swans. In the ensuing years I made paintings from these photos. 

The next one is from my parent's collection, it was put in a frame and I probably gave it to them as a gift at some time in the past. The Swans probably thought I was going to feed them! While the photo I used to make this painting may have been taken by me, it is also possible it was an old family photo since there was a box of them that I would go through and make paintings from.  

 

Stratford Ontario Swan Lake, One Adult Swans two Young Swans (Cygnets - there is your crossword word of the day). 5 x 7" cold press, watercolour, 2000 (No. 1854)

The one below is more experimental, it was surely done from a family photo based on the date of the painting being very early, before I went there on my own. I may have brought my camera on a family trip out there. Too bad blogger didn't exist back then, it would have been like a better version of my memory!

10 x 15" cold press, Watercolour, 1993 (No. 0024)