The Arizona deserts are often a restrained palette of broken color—mostly grays, tans, and sage—in defiance of all of that is the vermilion flycatcher. Impossible to ignore, this male bird’s cadmium red and orange scream against the blue sky. Painted at life size, it fits a little 8" x 8" wood panel nicely. This past March we took a trip to Arizona, visiting dear friends in Phoenix, and then spent six days in Sonoita and Patagonia, just north of the Mexican border. While the vermilion flycatcher isn’t a rare bird in the area, I always look forward to seeing their fiery flight display intended for the female. I love the desert landscape. It was a great trip, and I came home with lots of ideas for paintings. More to come soon!
I rarely use a pigment as it comes from the tube, but this morning when I added the finishing touches to the bird’s breast, it was cadmium orange and red I added to this super-saturated painting. And still, it was no exaggeration.
Vermilion and blue is an 8" x 8" acrylic painted on a wood panel. It sold last summer.
