Framed oil painting

20 x 20 (image size) Oil on canvas

Kiawah Snowy ~ #10 in the Yellow Foot Collection

One early morning in late May of last year, a good friend drove me to Kiawah Island, SC to go birding. For those of you who haven’t had the good fortune to visit Kiawah, it is a coastal paradise for golfers and birders, two of my favorite past-times. My latest painting, Kiawah Snowy, was inspired by that outing.

It was a little overcast, but bright. As we rounded the bend in the road, there were dozens of snowies along with egrets, herons and ibises in the shallow tidal marsh. The tide was low and it was feeding time for these beautiful wading birds.

I was struck by the ethereal sight of the white birds surrounded by water that reflected the white sky. There were subtle grays and blues that identified the slight movement in the water and created the contrast of the birds.

This Snowy Egret is depicted walking in the shallow water in search of his next meal. His large yellow foot hangs down, dripping water from its nails. The wind is up and feathers are ruffled. Each step gets him closer and closer to unsuspecting prey.

I originally set out to create a colorful collection of snowy paintings. I ended up painting them in various styles and with different palettes. Kiawah Snowy is the least colorful, but I liked the challenge of white on white (bird and water). I intentionally kept this a high key painting, with soft pastel looking colors and very little darks.

Don’t Look Down and Sullivan’s Island Snowy are the most colorful paintings in the collection. Spike was my first in the series and maybe the most creative as far as creating the background.

All of them were a joy to paint. I’ve often felt after finishing a painting that I would like to try painting the same subject in a different style or palette. Painting this collection of 10 paintings allowed me to do just that. It helps to keep the creative juices going.

The Yellow Foot Collection is now complete. They are priced well below market value in order to make them more affordable to collectors. I hope you’ve enjoyed watching the collection grow.