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Do you have any idea of why I might title this painting of a downy woodpecker “The Drill Sergeant”? If you’re a fellow bird lover, I think you understand. The delicate appearance of this bird belies the effectiveness with which he can create a pattern of holes up and down any tree or home’s siding with great efficiency. I regularly hear the tapping of his beak just outside my studio window. He’s awfully cute, though!
The colorful foliage was created by painting a wild, patterned background as the first layer of paint and then covering it up (painting negatively) to reveal the leaves behind the bird. There are may layers of paint just behind the bird!
