Red Hen

Red Hen
Acrylic on canvas. 14" x 11".

This is a composite done from shots I took of the Rhode Island Reds next door. I like their boxy bodies, rich colors and dinosaur legs and toes.
Here I tried leaving most of the image in soft focus, except for the head. I like the effect, but feel the legs and toes might have been more interesting with a sharper focus/more detail. I may go back in and try that.

Rooster Jake

Rooster Jake
Acrylic on canvas. 16" x 12".
(sold)

Jake belonged to my neighbor until he tangled with a predator one night and met a sad end defending his hens. Nothing left but a trail of feathers.

One goal I had with this painting was to pay more attention to using texture and directional brush strokes. I rearranged some elements I didn't care for from the original photo, like the position of the fence. Still ended up with an awkward group of elements.
I immediately got into trouble with the the background so bright that it competed with the intense colors of the rooster. Graying down the colors in the grass, gravel and fence lines helped make the rooster appear brighter than the surrounding ground.
And once again commenced a long battle trying to articulate grass. Here I experimented with various brushes, and found the older, stiff beat up brushes were good tools to use.

Looking at this now, I think it could benefit from toning down the background even more. I may fiddle with it again later.