Thursday, April 30, 2009

Caspian Tern 5" x 5" acrylic $245








#3 in a series of bird paintings with the sandy background. This one is a caspian tern, another species found in this habitat. There will be four total and I'm looking forward to seeing them as a set.
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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Northern Shovelers 18"x13" acrylic NFS

This painting is for the California Duck Stamp Competition. It is a group of northern shovelers brilliantly lit up against a cloudy background. Often times int he field it is the distinctive white chests and wing linings that light up in the sky that makes the ducks easily identifiable. There large, spoon-like bills for which they are aptly named, are also an easy identifying marker for this species.

An interesting note is that duck stamp contests pick the species they would like and dictate the size of the submissions. The rest is left up to the artists interpretation. With this painting I wanted to go in a different direction than most stamps, which usually depict a pair on the water or in flight. I chose to paint three and "a half" ducks that are in the process of passing by. The duck that is cropped gives the flock a sense of movement and gives the viewer the sense that this is a fleeting glance.

This painting will be for sale following the competition in late May. If you are interested in making an offer you can contact peter@mathiosstudios.net.
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Monday, April 27, 2009

The Bachelors 4" x 4" acrylic

SOLD
American wigeon used to be known as "baldpates" because their white forehead stripe gave them the appearance of a bald man. These three males, however, are not bald but swim peacefully through calm waters in full plumage resting up for the upcoming breeding season.
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Saturday, April 25, 2009

Snowy Plover 5" x 5" acrylic $245








This is the second in a series of daily paintings featuring a simplistic sandy background, which is prime habitat for the snowy plover.
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Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Western Gull 5" x 5" acrylic on board $245







A western gull stand statuesque on a smooth and firm band of wet sand. The color scheme of this scene and the simplicity in the composition are the inspiration behind this painting.
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Distant Wolf 5" x 7" acrylic on board

SOLD

A lone wolf traverses a wintry mountain meadow as late afternoon progresses into evening.

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Sunday, April 19, 2009

New Print Release - "South Platte Sunrise"

Image Size (unframed): 15" x 20"
Throughout the past year, the regular edition prints of South Platte Sunrise were used to raise money for upland bird habitat at Pheasants Forever banquets throughout the country. Now the remaining prints from the Artist Proof edition are available. The edition size is 50 prints and only 22 of those remain. To see more available prints, click here.






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Saturday, April 18, 2009

Caught 20"x16" acrylic on canvas


SOLD
This painting is being auctioned off this evening at a local Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation banquet and fundraiser. In this painting I focused on the look in the does eyes. She sees you and is very alert and is about to flee. The diagonal of the neck heightens the tension between the viewer and the deer. If you click on the image, a larger format reveals the detail in the deer.
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Autumn Interlude 18" x 36" acrylic

SOLD
It has been a while since I have posted a painting because this large original took a long time to finish. A flock of graceful northern pintail circle low over this late autumn cattail marsh. Pintail are strong flyers that travel up to 2,000 miles during their migrations. This group is arriving at a beautiful spot to rest and possibly even winter. I really wanted to capture the intricacies of the wetland in this painting as well as give the viewer a sense of atmosphere.My Website