Macaw

This 18 x 24-inch macaw painting is one of my personal favourite pieces. Spring of 2024 I was approached by my university’s student association [ASWWU] to create a painting to be on display at a vespers service where different acts of worship would be shown. I was given free rein on the subject, and the size. I had this canvas that I was excited to work with, as I hadn’t done anything of that size before. I love birds, and I wanted to work with a lot of colour—this is where the macaw came in perfectly. For this painting, I wanted to also work on painting more loosely, and not as “perfect,” or “stiff.” I began by researching different images of macaws, learning all their colours, and flying positions. Then I digitally sketched my concept and began to paint on the canvas. I did not grid, nor sketch with a pencil first for this one. I began with diluted blue paint and freely painted/sketched the macaw on to the canvas until I was happy with how it looked and then began to build it to its final render. I had three days to complete this painting. This painting helped me to realize that a time limit for a painting may not always be a bad thing—and having that deadline showed me just how well I can work under pressure if need be. For the vespers, I paired my painting with a Bible verse: Psalm 139:14 “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”