A Magpie This Fall

"A Magpie This Fall", acrylic on canvas, 40 by 30 inches.

Some of the posts in 2011 were a bit down, noting the passing of too many people. Necessary but hardly much fun. So, as an antidote, I'm starting this new year with something lively.

Few creatures are as lively as magpies. They squabble and fly around, find a spot and very noisily make it their own. They're also very graphically beautiful, all black and white. When painting one, and when being painted by a colorist like me, it's necessary to shoot some more color into the scene. Fall colors, especially those of New Mexico, are a good way to accomplish this.
I've done several pictures with Taos Mountain in them. I'll pull them all together into one post sometime soon.