Goldfinch, Revisited

I finished this painting two years ago. At the time, the male goldfinch was alone amongst the black-eyed susans. I was never completely satisfied with the design of this painting. There was too much white space in the composition, and his pose was not as dynamic as I would have liked. A few days ago, after much research, I added another goldfinch, presumably his previously unknown mate. The challenge was to have her fit within the existing design. She had to be placed behind the foliage, and had to be focused on something in the picture, and had to have a pose that was complementary to his as well as the stems, leaves, and blooms. So, here it is:

Eastern Goldfinches & Black-eyed Susans, Watercolor by Anne Gilna

Little Noisemaker

Just finished, in time for the Deer Path Art League show on Labor Day: the vocal little Carolina Wren, which I had been hearing around the neighborhood last year (but not this year for some reason) and wasn't able to see but I could identify it by its voice. Why do wrens have the ability to make so much noise, anyway? I have it perched on a Yellow Coneflower, which grows in my garden.

Carolina Wren & Yellow Coneflower, watercolor by Anne Gilna