​On a cold and blustery day in November, I was out photographing along the beaches of Qualicum Beach and down the coastline to Rathtrevor Beach in Parksville, British Columbia.  Looking high up into the trees that line the beach I often see our wonderful Bald Eagles up in the trees. 
This is the photo that inspired this painting of a Bald Eagle pair perched high up on the tree top of a wonderful looking “eagle tree”. 

At the beginning stage is the question how to use this photograph and interpret it into a painting.
The first decision I made was to crop in and lose the bottom branches, but I wanted to leave in a lot of those lovely gnarly branches.
Then it’s getting the eagles positioned a little better.  In the photo they overlap slightly, I felt it would look much better giving each eagle more space around it, so extended and changed the angle of the branch carrying the top eagle.

Now with the eagles positioned, I can make some decisions on their colouring, adding more golds and rich browns and putting in feather and wing details.
I also decided to add violet and sepia to the shadow side of the tree and warmth in the sky in front of the eagles.
A few more minor tweaks, and I am ready to call the piece finished.
And now for deciding on it’s title (I Decided to change around what I had for the working title) so the final title for the piece is– THE LOOKOUT
Here is the finished piece – hope you like it.
Patricia
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THE LOOKOUT – Bald Eagles          
Acrylic on canvas, painting size: 30” x 15” (76 x 38 cm)

​“I love the stark look of the bare, wind blown trees here – rugged yet strong, these trees seem to just be waiting for eagles to come and perch on their branches.  Rathtrevor Beach, in Parksville, British Columbia is a great place to look up and watch the magnificent Bald Eagles perched in the trees high above the beach where they keep a sharp eye to spot prey from their “lookout” high above the water.”
Patricia M. Mansell
                         Artist

Finally finished - after a few months off dealing with many unexpected issues.  

The Amur or Siberian Tiger is a truly magnificent animal. His native terrain includes both wooded forest and river shoreline and the Tiger thrives in both. ​ I was captivated by the play of the warm tones in his fur against the coolness of the water as he plunged in, splashing water as he went.  

Working on the colouring in the water and putting in the underpainting  for the jungle behind him, and starting to work on his tones - lots more work to be done.

​May 25 2017
Working Title: "Taking the Plunge" (Siberian Tiger)
Watching this lovely animal leaping into water and the resulting splash patterns from its motion was a subject that I just had to paint.  I'm sure that I will be painting it a few more times yet.
At the beginning stages it is just getting the animal's positioning right and making decisions on colouring etc.
Here is the painting after day 1 (photographed at the Tosh 10 Studio on the ground floor of The Old Schoolhouse Art Centre in Qualicum Beach, Vancouver Island.

 

After my last blog entry calling the painting finished, I delivered the painting to my photographer - and promptly pulled it back again to make just one more adjustment.  Of course one tweak led to several as I slightly changed the angle and shading of the birds back above the tail, made the head slightly longer and tamed down the blue shading behind its right leg.  This time I am happy with it.
Here is the re-finished finished painting -
 "Taking Flight" (Canada Goose taking off from water)

I thought his wing nearest the light would look better if the leading edge blended more and almost disappeared in places, so made that adjustment.  After a few final tweaks
 
Here is the finished painting -
 "Taking Flight" (Canada Goose taking off from water)

Working Title: "Taking Flight" (Canada Goose taking off from water)
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If you have ever watched a Canada Goose as it takes off from water, it does an amazing DANCE as it rather ungainly gains momentum to get itself into the air - literally walking on water as it goes.
I forgot to photo the beginning stages of this painting, so only have this one which is close to being finished.  Along the way I messed up the water reflections and had to repaint them much softer.
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                         (An author writes an autobiography about himself
                      - I guess this is as close as I will come to a self-portrait of my character. 
​                         Just keep going, putting one foot in front of another until you finally "Take Flight").

Working Title: "Dining Out" (Sea Otters dining on Clams)

​Day 5 - 7:
After a while away from the painting, I decided that their heads needed to be whiter, with shadowing and some warm tones.  Now they are reading Sea Otters.
 
Here is the finished painting - "Dining Out" (Southern Sea Otters)
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​ 
Working Title: "Dining Out" (Sea Otters dining on Clams)
 
I decided to paint these Sea Otters as a tribute to my brother who had sent me some photos of Otters he had been watching (my brother sadly passed away in 2015).
 
Day one of the process starts with me reviewing all my reference shots of Sea Otters and deciding on the placement for this pair.  I knew that I wanted the Otters to be actively doing something (feeding or grooming etc.) and decided that enjoying a meal of clams would fit the bill.
 
A large part of the painting will be focused on the water patterning and reflection the pair create as they gently glide through the water.
 
The first day's work is largely sketching the Otters in and establishing base coats on which to build.
 
Here is the painting after Day 1.

​Day 2 on "Dining Out"
I started lightening up the water and adding more of the water patterning.
I knew that I needed to focus in on what the pair were eating and decided to add a rock balanced on one of them as they often use rocks to open shells.  I also decided that butter clams would be on their menu in the painting - so went off to do my research on butter clams and their shells etc.
 
Here is the progress on Day 2 of "Dining Out"

​Day 3 on "Dining Out"
Here I started the putting things in and taking them out process as I tried out different ideas on how they eat and how their mouths would look etc.  I decided to change the arm position of the closest Otter to better hold the clam as he eat.  I also put in the shell resting on its chest.
 
Here is the painting at the end of Day 3: