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wildartguy — Purple finches
Published: 2012-07-16 05:12:22 +0000 UTC; Views: 1165; Favourites: 22; Downloads: 19
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Description
A larger painting featuring an apple tree I saw at a Raptor rehabilitation park in Wisconsin. I decided Purple Finches would work as their 'blue' red opposes the 'yellow' red of the apples so they stand out a little, but not too much. I based it on an inverted triangular composition with strong diagonals and a horizontal centre line. I then divided the foliage into thirds from left to right and placed the birds in the right hand third. I didn't do this consciously with a ruler, I just slashed lines across the canvas in thin dark paint until something looked rightRelated content
Comments: 24
It works really well. Great contrasts between the birds and foliage
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Jesus, your work needs a bigger audience. What a totally magnificent and personal take on realism I discover in your gallery.
It's like this isn't just one of those impressive but boring realism paintings that many people do. This has personality; the colours, the composition gives a personal impression, like this is something that only I can see. I feel like I am sitting in front of the tree and time has frozen before me, and then I keep the memory in my heart to look at ... it makes me dreamy, it's technically perfect, it's just extraordinary!
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Thank you for the detailed answer...
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Oh hell no Roy, it's not what you think mate! If you read the rest of Wilde's quote, he talks about how the definition of art is that is is something non-functional, so he's saying a car or a phone, no matter how beautiful, can't be art. Art is something which has no purpose except to be enjoyed & to enrich our lives. I think it's wonderful answer to the much debated question: What is art?
It makes one think though, if one uses a Rodin sculpture as a doorstop does it cease to be art? Wish I could've thrown that at Oscar, but no doubt he would have a brilliant answer!
Thanks for the best question I've been asked all year!
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So pretty, I can totally imagine them out in the wild in the exact same pose
I've only seen these guys once in the wild, it was a glacier national park up in Logan's pass. cute little things
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Ha! I put the reply on the wrong bird! I thought u meant the Scaled Quail. I thought Purple Finches were quite common!?
and yeah, I couldn't help reading all the comments! No bloody discipline whatsoever!
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They aren't endangered but the house finch and sparrow compete with them and win, so on the east coast they aren't common anymore.
They are suppose to be a resident where I live but the house finch and invasive house sparrow have pushed them all out so I never get to see them
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That's sad, House Sparrows are doing that all over the world, yet ironically they are actually becoming rare in their home range! In London they are actually endangered! I didn't realise the house Finch was doing that, aren't they native? Or have they been transplanted from further away? Amazingly I got the House Finch and Purple finch added to my list this month, so I'll be doing them both digitally soon. I tell you what, I'll do them facing opposite directions and only you and I will know the significance
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The house finch is native but because the house sparrow takes the house finches nesting areas and competes for food the house finch in turn competes more with the purple finch
That's awesome 
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Oh wow, that clears it up, didn't know that. I'm gonna try to get that titbit included in the iBird description for the birds. Amazing that the two species existed in harmony for millenia until we came along... D'oh!
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Humans always seem to mess things up XD
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You've seen them?! Where's GNP? I've heard of it (coz the glaciers are nearly gone), I would imagine they're not easy to see in the wild, most quails are very secretive.
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I wish I'd seen them, they look amazing. I love California quail, soooo adorable.
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I must apologise for the particularly ordinary photo here, I used to have 4x5 transparencies done of all my paintings, but I don't know what happened here, musta decided my 8 megapixel Canon DSLR was good enough. Unfortunately the photographer was a dud, but my Mum still loves him!
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Very nice! What medium was used? It took me a moment to notice the second bird below the red one, as he seemed to blend right in. It made me search the painting for more in case I missed more, lol. Wonderful details and lighting.
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Many thanks Giselle, Its Oil on Canvas (ultra fine grain Belgium Linen on board) I'm thrilled to hear you looked for more birds, it was my intention to hide the second bird a bit (it's the female) as she was so close to the male.
I did quite like this painting (which is unusual for me) and so did my wife, which is why I'm looking at it on the wall as I speak, I gave it to her for her birthday. Naturally I've had several offers for it since, if it was for sale I probably would've had zero! As soon as you say something isn't for sale everyone wants the darn thing! I bet you’ve had the same thing! My advice to all artists: say its not for sale!
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It's always like that, not for sale means everyone wants it!
I'm curious, when you started painting this did you know it was going to be for your wife or was it only after you were done? I found that once I decide I am giving a certain paiting away it always seems to be higher quality than the ones I know will be put up for sale.
I'm eager to see more of your future works
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Thanks Giselle, Generally I have no idea what will happen to a painting, so it was in this case, I think there was only one painting, a tiger portrait I did for my newborn nephew, which had a purpose before it was painted.
I'm eager to see more of my future works too! I wonder what they'll be?
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Nice work! I like your composition and the thought process that went along with it. I'm also glad that you used the same color for both birds and apples, only tweaking the temperature.
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Thanks Misted, very kind. I must admit I took just a tad of licence with the colour on the male, they are that Crimson colour but I may have overstated it just a scooch! I agonised over the colour for a while as I like warm colours in the foreground, it makes it easier to gain depth by putting cooler ones in the background. But then as a self taught artist I didn’t even know about that principle until I'd been painting for five years!
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Yes, you're welcome! Well, sometimes artistic license goes a long way in making a painting work, even though it may not be entirely accurate. 
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