Framed Oil painting 40 × 30 (image size) on canvas

Dress Blues ~ Portrait of a regal Great Blue Heron!

All dressed up and nowhere to go, this Great Blue Heron was in his happy place. Perched interminably on a fallen tree branch, displaying his magnificent coat of feathers, knowing that at any given moment breakfast, lunch, and dinner could be found beneath the lily pads. After all, it is his lucky fishing spot!

I was particularly struck by the beauty of this heron’s feathers. It is rather unusual to see the dark blue wing feathers stretched down so low. To me his appearance looked so formal, or regal, it gave the appearance of wearing “dress blues”.

Great Blue Herons are territorial birds. This one frequents the golden pond with blooming lilies. Smaller birds like cormorants and anhingas are allowed to feed here, but larger birds like egrets and other herons get chased away quite quickly. Being the largest bird around makes him master of his domain. His only concern is when Mr. Gator decides to show up.

The painting is 40” by 30”. The background was painted in a relatively loose/painterly style while the bird is more refined in order to become the main focus. The heron is depicted almost life-size.

The dark shoreline at the top of the painting frames and highlights the heron’s white head and beak. Light reflects on the pond creating a golden hue, transitioning again into darkness in the lower quadrant.

Blooming lilies and lily pads add color and help create the surface plane of the water, adding depth to the painting. The lily pads provide some shade to the fish below and also a surface for bugs and frogs to hang out on. It makes for easy pick’ns for the large carnivorous heron!

Great Blue Herons have always fascinated me. I love photographing and painting them. When I see a bird that strikes me as exceptional, like this one, it inspires me to immortalize it on canvas. I hope you like this painting. It was a joy to paint.