Feathered Friends

The current took my kayak around a bend in the backwoods creek, and suddenly I was immersed in an astonishing scene: a huge flock of white birds, some taking to the air as I approached. They were mostly White Ibis on the creek's edge, mixed with White Egrets and Wood Storks in the trees.
The resulting painting is a combination of several reference photos I was able to snap that day. I chose to paint in layers using a drybrush technique in order to capture the textured tangle of background and scattered sunlight. The landscape becomes indistinct in distance, suggesting the humidity and jungle-like conditions of Florida wilderness.