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Submitted: March 12, 2005
Image Size: 128 KB
Resolution: 800×584

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The Birdseed Thiefby `ursulav

Scraps

When you stop and think about it, the reason the birdseed all vanishes in a remarkably short period of time, forcing me to refill the feeder CONSTANTLY, is almost certainly the squirrels. The odds that it's a weird little guy in a vaguely kachina-esque birdsuit are slim to none.

Still, you never know.
-----------------------------

I don't like this painting. It's the first one I ever did using oils, and thus I am very glad to have done it, but I don't think it works for a coupla reasons--the birds, (slate-sided juncoes) while nifty, are too small and get lost, and the figure for some reason just doesn't do it for me. I was going for a Michael Parkes-esque juxtaposition of shallow stone ledges and airy space, and...err...well, it didn't work. The gradient on the sky is pretty choppy, but on the other hand, it's the first such I've ever done with oils, so I don't mind that so much--the next one will be better. But overall, it just fails for me.

In the normal course of human events, I would have scrapped this one halfway through (and nearly did) but my husband insisted I finish it, because he liked it. (I quite like the IDEA, mind you, of something sneaking in and stealing my birdseed, but I failed in the execution.) My tendency, on those occasions that I do a painting that I don't like, is to chunk it in the corner and ignore it until I have a convention that I'm desperate to round out or something, but as a friend mercilessly pointed out, it's unlikely anyone will hate it with the same intensity that I do, and only one person has to like it to buy the thing. And somebody else once said that they quite liked seeing my failures because it gave them hope for their own art. So hey, what the hell. But it's in scraps, because of that.

15 x 20, I think, mixed media, my first stab at oils. If somebody wants to buy it, I will let it go for probably half the price it'd run if I liked it. Prints are also available. Drop a note, or visit [link] (which is down this weekend, so just send a note.)

=LeeAnneKortus Feb 28, 2009 Professional Digital Artist

This artwork has been featured in the following News Article: [link]

If you do not wish it to be included please let me know and I will remove it!

Thank you!

~johnnyjinx Jan 7, 2007 Professional Traditional Artist

Yer killing me! Your mistakes are leaps and bounds better than anything I could ever hope to do.

~RookinherRookery Apr 21, 2005

Your qualms noted an' all, but his garb (!) _rawks_!

~Heiko Mar 29, 2005

well first off the reason your bird sead is missing is because ive been sneaking into your backyard and night, stealing your birdseed and selling it for ridiculous amounts on Ebay. I have to make a living somehow.

secondly I think that the nifty textures of the stone and on the ledge give this a nice depth and feel so well I like it.

~skull Mar 25, 2005

Great work. And even better, considering it's done in oils. And even betterer (uh...), considering it's your first oil piece.

I really like the idea, but I do see why you wouldn't like it*. Maybe it's just my own perception, but it seems to have a bit less depth than your other pieces. Although the shadows are wonderfully precise and the details put some of my photographs to shame, some parts are too flat compared to others. The bird on the right is not as neatly three-dimensional as the one on the left... And the thief, while well contrasted against the background, lacks definition around his left hand and the bag; maybe if you worked a bit more on the shadows in that area, he would look less awkward.

Don't worry about the sky gradient, it actually looks quite nice... However, the stone could use more work. The texture is amazing, but the two pillars (?) look a little confusing... I'm not sure if their cross-section is supposed to be round or rectangular.

Anyway, sorry for the long comment; I haven't slep much and it's probably damn confusing to read...
I like the piece, nonetheless; don't think I hate it, I still very much admire your skills!

* Mind you, I wouldn't be able to even approach the level of this piece, but putting myself in your position gives me that extra kick of courage needed to post some constructive criticism...