Grass Roots Hunter

This painting was inspired by a day spent bird watching at a local lake here in Alberta. This little Yellow Headed Blackbird and I had quite an active dialogue going on all afternoon. He often seemed to chide me as he was hopping along grabbing insects in the grass. He hung around me all afternoon before he flew off though, so I like to think he was intentionally modelling for me. I don't speak bird so I can't be sure...but it amuses me to imagine it. And it fed the emotional throughline while painting it in my studio.