Lovebird Paintings - 'For the Birds'

I have done a few paintings over this past year and I wanted to share two. The theme with these two was obviously lovebirds. I created my first painting over the summer last year and I decided to enter it in the educators art show at the Crossroads Art Center.

For the Birds #1, Acrylic on Canvas

It turned out that the painting was sold and the buyers liked it so much they commissioned another piece! They wanted it to be a sister painting to match the first, so I kept the color scheme similar and the same lovebird subjects, but I experimented a lot more with the pose and details in the lovebirds.

 

 

For the Birds # 2, Acrylic on Canvas

I really wanted to play with the pose to create some echoing hearts as hidden characteristics. The first heart I made in the negative space under the beaks. Other hearts can be found too; the beaks form a suggestion of a heart and the bodies of the birds create a heart, as well. It was a fun challenge, having to balance making the hearts readable and keeping the bodies of the lovebirds more realistic.

I took some process photos of the lovebirds to show the steps I took while painting and show a closer look at some details.

Detail #1: Pencil lines and Background

Detail #2: Foot and Branch

Detail #3: Foot and Branch

Detail #4: Eyes and Beaks

Detail #5: Face and Feathers

Detail #6: Feathers in Progress

Detail #7: Close-up of Wings and Tails

Detail #8: Finished Birds Close-Up

Custom Surf Board Sign for Barefoot Brady's Tiki Bar

Barefoot Brady's Sign (Click to enlarge)

Here is a piece that I finished over the summer. It is a custom sign intended my brother's tiki bar at our family's river place. The entire bar is dedicated in loving memory to Amanda Brady (Family and friends loving refer to her as Brady). Our family has named it Barefoot Brady's in her honor. The decor inside is either inspired by or dedicated to her memory and love of the beach. The sign itself was intended to incorporate subjects that she loved, as well as, symbols that friends and family associate with her and remember her by.

The board itself was crafted out of plywood, using a knee-board as a guide to get the size right. It was cut and primed by my brother for me. I began with a white board and projected my sketched design on to the board. This way I could trace the main elements on to the board for painting.

For imagery, I painted a bright blue beach scene accented with palm trees and flowers. We planned to keep the colors bright and happy. The white stripes across the center of the board were inspired by surf board designs. The emblem in the center was  intended to house the lettering of the sign. Inside the circle, I used a sand texture for the background and painted the lettering of the sign over it. The white outer circle has one of Brady's favorite sayings, "Live, Laugh, Love." I also repeated a footprint motif to tie in the 'Barefoot' part of the title and help balance out some of the colors used in the beach scene. 

One of the things I really enjoyed about this piece was that I included several hidden symbols representative of Brady in the scene. I chose symbols that family and friends would know the story behind and pick up on. The first was the number 47. This number was Brady's jersey number in softball. Family and friends have often seen this number in various situations and we all associate it with Brady. I worked this symbol into one of the decorative curls under the lettering on the center of the sign. See the detailed shot below.

Detail - Hidden Symbol: #47

 

The next symbol is a lady bug. Brady's family members have often seen a lady bug after a loved one's passing and we all have come to see it as a sign that their spirit is with us and letting us know they are there. There have been several instances where family and friends have seen this symbol over the years, as well. I hid this little lady bug under a pink flower pedal on the right side of the sign. I am very pleased with how it turned out and how it tucked nicely under the pedal.

Detail - Hidden Symbol: Lady Bug

 The last symbol I put in was a four-leaf clover. Brady was well known to find four leaf clovers all the time, even though they are so rare. I slipped in this little clover under the palm tree on the right side of the painting.

Detail - Hidden Symbol: 4 Leaf Clover

This project has been very personal to me, our family, and friends. There is a lot of love painted into this sign! The completed sign has been a big hit and now hangs proudly over the entry of the tiki bar. The family has also decided to make T-Shirts featuring the design and they are selling them to benefit the foundation that was created in memory of Brady, The Amanda Brady Foundation for Youth. Visit http://amandabradyfoundation.org/ to learn more about the Foundation.

This is our tribute to Brady and a fun way to keep her memory and spirit alive with us. We love you Brady!!