New Yellow-headed Blackbirds soft pastel painting

"Abundance"—Crabapples & Blackbirds

The last painting I made for my April show at Tumalo Art Co. in Bend, OR, is of yellow-headed blackbirds in a crabapple tree. The challenge was to make the background of pine trees work with the intense light and colors in the foreground…ie I didn’t want the background to usurp the foreground. As with all paintings there is a moment when I’m not sure I can pull it off. But, as I follow my instincts, it usually resolves. I intended to cut this in half and use the 2 squares in some frames I had ready to go. But in the end, I liked the composition and couldn’t bring myself to cut it apart. The square frames will have to wait!

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are so beautiful and mixed with the reds of the apples and the ochre leaves, they come to life.

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Susan Luckey Higdon

Susan Luckey Higdon makes fine art in Central Oregon that reflects the natural beauty all around her. She paints landscapes, native fish in their underwater habitats and bird life. Painting large whenever possible her work is semi-abstracted using composition, loosely impressionistic and colorful.

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