Painting a Bluebird on Ice

One of the many helpful insights I've learned over the years is this simple concept: "Every painting is created one decision at a time." All you have to do to move forward is decide what one thing you want to do next.

That concept takes so much of the hesitation and intimidation out of painting.  Even if I can't "see" my way to the end, all I have to do is make one decision. And then, make one more decision after that.  Each decision builds on the next until the next thing you know, the painting is finished!

I had an idea of where I wanted this painting to go when I began.  I was interested in the ice and its impact on our wintering birds.  While ice coated everything, I watched the bird community change. New species showed up that were not normally at my feeders, and bird behavior changed as some species aggressively guarded their food source.  And right along with all this survival activity, the ice glistened on every limb, twig and blade of grass with an incredible hushed beauty.

I want to suggest that ice-glitter, the smooth ice formations around the burning bush twigs, and the hushed cold mood. I'm not really expecting to accomplish all of that in this first go-round, but I will learn from the effort! The first image you see is where I paused for a decision. The second image is the reference photo I'm using.

What would you do next? How would you begin if you were just starting this study? There are many ways to approach a painting and no one way is right or wrong. Feel free to use my reference image or one of your own and give it a try!

Bluebirds and Ice
painting decisions
learning as you paint