Blackbird Bramble

8x8", Oil on panel

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This image seems fitting, as we head into the last week of October. Something about this images reminds me of old fairy tales. Like something out of Grimm.

I've been interested in birds lately, keeping an eye out for them. I've been taking photos of birds gathering on power lines and tree tops. I'm sure that the images will find their way into my paintings.

When I began this painting, I wanted the surface to feel like an old fresco. Instead of my usual smooth surface over canvas or panel, I began by adding a layer of spackle, which then was coated with a layer of gesso. The surface was exactly what I wanted: textured and highly absorbent. My oil glazes played off of the surface that gave me that old world and mysterious look that I was after.