Two Chickadee Paintings

Enjoying the Thaw    8 x 8"   NFS

Tonight I chose to paint black-capped chickadees but in two very different styles.  Enjoying the Thaw is more of a traditional painting: birds in their habitat.  Some drawing was done first to get shapes right and composition settled.  And the painting, although fairly loose, has more layers and colors.  The next painting is much more zen-like.  You''ll see.
This painting is for my mother-in-law.  She adored a painting we saw together on a weekend trip to Vermont this past summer.  That one was called Enjoying November and it was two, indistinct birds sitting on a branch with predominantly cool blues.  Ever since then I've been wanting to paint something similar for her.  Here it is!