Tufted Puffin
6 x 8
oil on panel
When I was knee deep in my 50 birds last summer, my friend Shawn emailed me and requested that I paint a puffin. At the time I had not given any thought to painting these clown like birds, so I immediately responded that I thought puffins were "lame" and "the bottom feeders of the bird species" and would not waste my time painting one. I'm sure he was surprised by my rude response and nothing was ever mentioned about puffins again.
What Shawn didn't realize was he gave me the perfect idea for a gift for his 50th birthday which was celebrated in Monterey this weekend. For the past few weeks I've been working on the painting above in preparation for his birthday party, eager to hand it over to him. He was blown away by the gift as he thought for sure his good friend the artist dissed him in painting his favorite bird. Ha! Let it be known to the world that I am still full of surprises!
The tufted puffin can be found in Point Reyes National Seashore, which is very close to us, so they are a local bird. I like the expression on this one, with his "hair" combed back, he reminds me of an aging rock star...happy birthday, Shawn!
What Shawn didn't realize was he gave me the perfect idea for a gift for his 50th birthday which was celebrated in Monterey this weekend. For the past few weeks I've been working on the painting above in preparation for his birthday party, eager to hand it over to him. He was blown away by the gift as he thought for sure his good friend the artist dissed him in painting his favorite bird. Ha! Let it be known to the world that I am still full of surprises!
The tufted puffin can be found in Point Reyes National Seashore, which is very close to us, so they are a local bird. I like the expression on this one, with his "hair" combed back, he reminds me of an aging rock star...happy birthday, Shawn!
What a great idea to do this and a wonderful surprise for your good friend, Denny. That hair DOES remind one of an aging rock star - in fact, I saw one depicted in a movie recently that I cannot get out of my mind now who looks strikingly similar! Happy Birthday Shawn!
ReplyDeleteGreat painting Denny, what a great surprise for your friend!
ReplyDeleteI THINK
ReplyDeleteI AM IN LOVE AT 73.
HAR/ HAR HA HA..
YOU ARE FANTASTIC LOVE IT..
iS THAT A SCHUMACHER lIKE WALLPAPER?
PS WE HAVE PUFFINS OUT HERE IN THE BAY.
YOU DID A BEAUTIFUL JOB.
Thank you everyone for your nice comments!
ReplyDeleteHahahahaha! Denny you saved yourself magnificently! and good for it, too, you do NOT want bad bird karma hanging around your aura (think Alfred Hitchcock up in Bolinas ;-)
ReplyDeleteHe's rather handsome in his own way...!
Kit, I've been torturing Shawn like this for 35 years...he's grown to like it.
ReplyDeleteGreat painting Denny
ReplyDeleteI am without words for once...lol
Just Beautiful.... I kinda liked your last light background on your blog....
ReplyDeleteThanks, Frank...that's one of my favorite stretched lanscapes.
ReplyDeleteVery nice! Love the colors! What a terrific surprise gift for your friend - I suppose knowing the surprise you would be gifting made this all the more special to paint. We don't have Puffins where I live! (Northern Wisconsin) I just found your blog and am now following. I look forward to seeing more of your work!
ReplyDelete