Fly Pelican I ~ "Oh, to Fly" ~ Watercolor blue the set of the shoulders

the set of the shoulders

This piece is part of my Shadows of the Sky collection — a body of pastel work dedicated to raptors and owls

Everything about this bird says: there is nowhere else I need to be

iridescent green throat — contains more color per square inch than almost any other bird I've painted

anatomy study

Fly Pelican I ~ "Oh, to Fly" ~ Watercolor blue the set of the shouldersThis pelican watercolor painting captures the surprising grace of a bird most people think of as ungainly. "Fly Pelican I" shows a brown pelican in flight and in flight, everything changes. The heavy bill, the oversized pouch, the stocky body all become aerodynamic. A pelican riding a thermal is one of the most elegant sights on any coastline. This painting catches that transformation. I worked freehand on archival cotton rag paper with Kissho Gansai