A Florida Scrub Jay and It's Two-fold Gift--Vickie Henderson

Nature is the inspiration for my art, always giving me a lift and a gift at each encounter.  But painting is not always an easy endeavor,  primarily because I'm creating.  And creating involves risk, stepping into the unknown.  I have to deal with my own obstacles, like self-doubt and  fear.

Besides giving me delight at our first meeting, this endangered Florida Scrub Jay gave me another boost while I was painting him.  When I began to doubt that the painting's values were going to work, I focused on the bird's face and completed the other details in its body.  At that point, I fell in love with the bird all over again and the light and dark values began to fall into place.

For more about the progress of this painting and its challenges, visit:  A Florida Scrub Jay and the Illusive Nature of Confidence at Vickie's Sketchbook.

9 x 12 watercolor on Arches 140# cold press paper