"Regal Swan"

"Regal Swan"
8 x 10 acrylic on stretched canvas $125 SOLD

First, I would like to thank Jane Willis for allowing me to paint from her beautiful photograph taken on holiday in Turkey. (See http://marksvegplot.blogspot.com/ . If there was royalty in birds, I think the swan would be king and queen! They are so regal, graceful and romantic. Just seeing one makes you have visions of peace and love! Painting this was a humbling experience. How can you show the grace and elegance? I opted to make the water deep purples, blues and crimson--not as dark as the photo, but using the colors that suggest royalty. I love the shadow on the swan's back. I took some artistic liberties, but an artist painting from photographs tries not to just copy the photo, no matter how wonderful it is, but to add or subtract what is needed to make it her own, to make it express the mood she sees in the photo. I hope you like this--your comments are welcome!