Grandfather Buzzard (Cathartes Aura) The Golden Purifier - Final

I did a little more detail work and think I am calling this one finished. 

A new project is calling my name so I am moving on. 

Here is the final painting

Grandfather Buzzard

As with all my work Fine Art prints are available on my website and I can also be contacted there in regards to purchasing the original painting.

To see the final steps read on after the break.

Grandfather Buzzard -Work in Progress 7

I've been looking at the painting for a couple days and started adding more detail today. 

Here is what it looks like right now.

To see the step by step photos read on after the break.

Grandfather Buzzard -Work in Progress 6

I'm getting close to being done. I sprayed a coat of retouch Damar varnish on to see the color better. Now I'll stare at it for a few days and nitpick before starting on the next thing.

To order prints of this painting when it's done and all of my other work, check out my website.

To see the step by step photos read on after the break.

Grandfather Buzzard -Work in Progress 5

I have started o the glazing process. First a clear 50/50 turpentine and stand oil glaze to bring out the color and then adding some color and detail to the painting. 

Here it is as it sits on my easel this morning.

 

To see the steps that preceded this one read on after the break.

Grandfather Buzzard -Work in Progress 4

I started in with oil glazes today, turpentine with a little linseed oil added. Here is what the painting looks like now.

To see the steps to get to this point read on after the break. 

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Grandfather Buzzard -Work in Progress 4

Continuing the battle of creation. Here is where I am with the painting right now.

To see the step by step battle read on after the break. 

Grandfather Buzzard -Work in Progress 3

Plugging along with the acrylic paint. It's nice to work fast in the early stages of a painting. It's really easy to move and change things by just painting over with White. 

I was reading up on the Buzzard and Vulture some more and here are some of the things I found.

"The scientific name for the Turkey Vulture is CATHARTES AURA which means GOLDEN PURIFIER because as it goes about it's lifetime business it purifies the landscape and environment in it's own natural way, ensuring the continued health and life of other living things. The Vulture is a promise that all hardship was temporary and necessary for a higher purpose.  Once a Vulture enters your life as a totem or guide, it will remain with you for life.

Vultures live and work together, both in cooperation and friendliness. They communicate with friends and neighbors when they find something to eat. They let the others know where the food is. And when there is a big feast they communicate with neighboring flocks in distant roosts. Also, Turkey Vultures that range within California Condor habitat areas, when they find food they will go to the Condors and lead them to it. One roost was observed when they had a dead cow in their neighborhood. They somehow contacted a roost of 100 vultures about 30 miles away to come join them. Several days later, before they finished their feast, two more cows died. Within a day the vultures had contacted another roost to join them. At night all the birds visited together in the same or neighboring trees. There were now three different roosts living together. When the cows had been cleaned up the several visiting roosts went home. (source)

In Greek mythology, the Vulture is the descendant of the Griffin.  It was a very Buddhist-like, Zen-like symbol of the non-dual oneness of heaven and earth, spirit and matter, good and evil, guardian and avenger.  The Vulture is the avenger of nature spirits.    Ancient Assyrians believed the Vulture was, like Nagarjuna's middle way, Sunyata, the encompassing overall non-separated union between the day and night. Ironically, regardless of the less than good image the vulture is typically granted by most, think about it:

Unlike the needs of nearly all other living creatures, vultures do not kill.
Their prey either dies or something else kills it."

To see the step by step progress from my last post read on after the break.

Grandfather Buzzard -Work in Progress 2

I did a little more painting today. I roughed in the final position of Grandfather Buzzard and started putting in some color. Tomorrow I need to start thinking about my background.

 I'm not sure I leave it like the mock up. Here is how it looks now.

To see the steps to get here read on after the break.

Grandfather Buzzard -Work in Progress 1

I decided to do another Buzzard painting to go with my American Gods series. I found a black canvas on sale the other day and decided to give it a try. I'm going to do this one in Acrylics. Here is my sketch in white pencil on the canvas.

 

This is the mock up I did in Photoshop. I wanted the Great Buzzard to be King of the birds

I photographed my sketch and then layered in over my digital mock up to
check my proportions before painting.

Once I corrected my sketch a little I started painting with white acrylic on the black canvas this will be another painting using the grisaille technique .

Continuing with the white. I thinned it down with water for more gradation in tone.

For the shadows I am using some thinned Paynes grey for now. 

I will add color when I am happy with all the under painting.

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Vulture: New painting work in progress 4

I switched over to oil paint to finish up the grisaille.

 Here is the painting as it sits on my easel now.

To see the process to get to this point read on after the break.

Joie de vivre 2

This is where I left off yesterday and where the painting is today. I'm finding it difficult to build the color over the black but it does add pop to the highlights. 

 

Yesterday

Today

Sketching and Thinking Stage

I want to do some paintings from my new series of Wood Spirits so that begins with some sketching and idea mining on Google. I already have a photo I want to use as a source in one of the paintings.

Here is a sketch I did yesterday using that as a reference.

I was thinking of using him with Johnny Oldtimber who lives in the forests of Eastern Pennsylvania.

Johnny is a friendly tree spirit, called the Ghillie Dhu who helps lost children find their way home.
I was thinking of having a dancing child with Johnny watching him in the forest. I like that he is dancing with a flower in his hand to show an affinity with nature.

Man Saves Nature- Work In Progress 3

 I added and subtracted a few items and here is where it stands as of right now. For details read below for step by step edits. 

Man Saves Nature- Work In Progress 2

This is the image at the time of this post, I am also thinking of different titles as I work on it. Like "The Spark of Life", "Wired", "The Birth of a Tree" or "Embryo" all probably taking the image in new directions. This could also end up as a series, who knows. Oh the life of an artist.

Read after the break for the steps up to this point.