There is a meditative quality to this painting. The warmth of the sunlight, the soaring birds, the billowy clouds, the dancer's pose.
There are now four paintings in this series. Three of the four are set on the Guanacaste coast of Costa Rica. Birds play a role in all of the paintings. I have just sketched out the fifth one on the same size panel: 16" square. It's fascinating to see the contrast in scale between this series and "The Procession of Hope and Feathers", still on my studio wall.
The photo above was taken in my studio when "Dance of the Pelicans" was about one-quarter of the way along. I do love painting life-size figures, works so big that you feel - with a bit of magic - you can walk right into the canvas. But this small square format is complex and intriguing - how much of a narrative can I fit in 16" square?
Take one off the easel, replace it with a new project! This one is very dreamlike. The tattooed woman is wearing a harlequin costume. Pink flamingos and clouds of seabirds fly overhead. There will be a brilliant sunset. All in a 16" square.
And, once again, we are in Costa Rica.
Pura vida.
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