Golden Goose 6.5 x 20.5 Mary Jansen

This wonderful guy posed for me beside the Salt Creek Trail in LaGrange, IL. He wouldn't let me get very close for a good reference photo but he sure did want the other geese to know how magnificent his plumage was! I enjoyed watching him on the banks of the river but it was a greater joy trying to capture his strutting bravado on paper! This was done on hot press Fabriano paper. I love the smooth surface for rendering feathered friends.

My Christmas Cards are now up on Ebay! It has taken me, the computer moron, quite some time to learn the basic instructions but I think I have it down, (at least for now...) Take a peek:
http://shop.ebay.com/marymjansen/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340

I am done for now. The napping duck is being put to rest for a while. Her cousins in the Canada Goose family are eager to be painted! Birds are such wonderful creatures to paint!

This sweet little momma was trying so hard to catch her "z"s last year when I took her photo. It wasn't very nice of me to barge in on her snooze time with camera in hand. But...I'm not sorry either. This painting is almost finished. I've posted it because many love to see the process of the project in action. I've used hot pressed paper 140lb Fabriano paper and transparent paints. It has been a wonderful process!

Here's some fun for Christmas! If you like what you see will you please consider giving me a vote at:

http://blog.psprint.com/design-gallery-submission/#gallery

Thanks so much!

This is a miniature of one of the waterfalls in Starved Rock State Park, Il, (one of my favorite places!). I could just sit at this place for hours and hours...just soaking it in! This watercolor is about 2" x 4".

I guess I can't get enough of peonies. I'll be doing some more renditions of this beauty but in watercolor next. These flowers remind me of ballerinas. They gloriously leap up in their bright tutus and then gracefully touch ground again in the slightest rain storm. Wish mine would bloom...I had to tresspass into our neighbor's yard with my camera to grab some photo references...An artist has to do what an artist has to do...