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MEDIUM: Scratchbord™ with inks and watercolors
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SIZE: 8" x 4"
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STATUS: For sale $225, in a black wood frame
"I've done many paintings of hummingbirds and never tire of depicting these precious wonders. Tubular red flowers, called “Crocosmia Lucifer," which I had photographed in my friend Lil's garden, are attractive to the ruby throated hummingbirds we have as summer visitors here in Tennessee -- and would be striking in a painting. I decided to use black scratchboard, in a horizontal format, focusing just on the hummer and one bunch of the brilliant blossoms.
There's always something new to try as an artist and I had bought some reflective watercolors that would be fun to use on the crown and throat feathers, which are naturally very iridescent. I had done some test swatches from a 12-pan set of FineTec pearlescent watercolours. They really sing on a black surface, and can be diluted with minimal water and applied very opaquely. They were ideal for this painting! Elsewhere the colors I added to the scratched surface were transparent inks, mixing a strong red for the flower and a variety of colors for other feathers and the hummingbird's beak. The photo doesn't do justice to the unusual metallic sheen of the special watercolors!"
