Pacific Sunset 4" x 4" acrylic $225

The sun sets over calm Pacific waters...

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Spring Song 4" x 4" acrylic $225

A marsh wren sings to defend it's nesting territory from other wrens. Wetland tules are full of these busy, animated little wrens each spring as they gather the downy material from cattails to line their well hidden nests. They are difficult to see flitting amongst the reeds as they are never sitting still for long.

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Out of the Cattails 5" x 7" acrylic

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A rooster pheasant erupts from a thicket of cattails. I saw this bird at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge recently and created the cattail habitat to emulate a favorite spot of mine at a local hunting area in Oregon. When pheasants launch with their loud cackles and flurry of wings it is an exhilarating experience.
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Eastern Turkeys 6" x 7" acrylic

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A pair of Eastern turkeys crest a ridge. The sun is rising but hasn't allowed for enough warmth to burn off the mist sitting in the lower part of the swale. This painting was commissioned and if you are interested in a custom painting of your own feel free to contact me. There is more information on the commissions page of my website including examples of past commissions.

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Evening Paint 4" x 4" acrylic $225

The shadows are longer as the last rays of late afternoon sunshine blanket this hillside. Although the runoff in the creek has all but disappeared the hills are a lush green after a wet winter which makes for some nourishing feed for this beautiful horse.

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Rinsing Off 5" x 7" acrylic $295

A wood duck drake rinses off on a sunny day. I observed this wood duck just a couple of days ago and because it is Spring, he is most likely already paired off with a female. Wood ducks are the most colorful of all the North American waterfowl and I am always inspired to paint them when I see them. My Website

Winter Flock 4" x 12" acrylic

SOLD This painting has been revised a bit. On the blog below, you can see the original version. A wood duck has been added to the mix of waterfowl as I had seen one in this spot on this particular day. They are very skittish and took off right away, but the handsome male adds a nice bit of color to the painting. I also put him closer to the shore to add just a bit more depth to the water. An important part of this painting and a big reason for adding the various species (besides added interest) is the fact that when the weather gets cold, ducks like open patches of water. You can see quite a variety of species at times like this.

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The Watering Hole 8" x 10" acrylic $1200

A herd of zebra quench their thirst while keeping a wary eye out for predators. Water in Africa is a great place to see wildlife but it is also attracts a great number of predators. This painting is available through Caswell Gallery's "Africa" show along with two of my other African paintings. The show opens tonight with wine, hors d'ouvres and live African music. The show will run for the month of April - no foolin! My Website

Morning Calm - Bufflehead 4" x 4" acrylic

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Three male bufflehead enjoy a calm morning. These small diving ducks are among my favorite species of waterfowl because of their diminutive size and stiking plumage. The glassy water in this painting creates calm reflections and a very peaceful feeling.

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Neela 5" x 7" acrylic

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This painting was commissioned as a birthday gift. The dog is older than she is depicted here but she is now immortalized as a painting. Neela is her call name and her registered name is Calverts First Impression and she is quite the bird dog having even been on television.
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Bugling Bull Study 5" x 7" acrylic

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A bull elk bugles on a cool autumn morning. This painting was done as a study to get the position of the bull correct for a larger painting. Currently, I have two larger elk paintings in progress and painting them makes me long for crisp fall mornings. Elk bugles are one of my favorites sounds in nature and chasing these animals is always exciting especially when there is a close encounter!
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Rufous and Fuchsia 4" x 4" acrylic

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Last summer and fall, a fuchsia plant hung outside of my studio window and every morning like clockwork this rufous hummingbird would come visit to feed on the nectar. The flowers of this plant are spectacularly colored and almost look fake making them very attractive for these little birds. Fuchsia like the shade so they are perfect for Western Oregon!
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Winter Flock 4" x 12" acrylic $720

A mixed flock of pintail, wigeon and ringneck ducks ease their way through an unfrozen winter pond. Ringneck ducks are diving ducks that frequently visit the same shallower habitat that other dabbling ducks visit. Dabbling ducks are aptly named as the tip up to feed like the female pintail in this painting. They are unable to dive great depths because their feet are located in more of a forward position on their bodies. This also enables them to jump straight off the water when startled. Ringneck ducks need to run to take off.
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Sunrise Reflections 12" x 16" acrylic

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Lake Pepin is the widest naturally occuring part of the Mississippi River and is located roughly 60 miles southeast of Minneapolis. I saw this scene as the lake's level rose and flooded the shoreline creating a surreal, beautiful scene at dawn. Varying levels of fog add a mysteriousness as the sun tries to burn through. Standing on a sunken log, the four mallard seem so diminutive next to the regal tree.

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Ankeny Pintail 8" x 10" acrylic

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A drake pintail swims near the shore on a foggy morning. This painting was completed on the spot at the Albany Ducks Unlimited banquet and was auctioned off as soon as it was finished. 100% of the proceeds went to Ducks Unlimited and will be used to set aside wetland habitat that is beneficial to pintails as well as other waterfowl and numerous other species of birds.
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Morning Light - Shoveler 5" x 7" acrylic $295

Yesterday, I took the morning and drove out to our local wildlife refuge. It had snowed a couple of inches and I was looking for some good winter scenes (since we don't get much snow in the Willamette Valley). I came across a northern shoveler swimming alone in this pond and it struck me as a peaceful, serene moment with a subtle low light and the reflective qualities of calm water.
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Stormy Cove 5" x 7" acrylic

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A storm rolls into the rocky Pacific coastline. I recently visited the coast on an incredibly windy day and took some pictures of this scene. The wind seemed to be blowing the wavetops off and the rain was sideways! What intrigued me about this scene, besides the weather, was the powerful action of the ocean and the depth that the lines in the foam created as it leads the viewer's eye out to sea.

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Shoreline Reflections 7" x 5" acrylic

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Great blue herons are majestic, predatory birds that stand motionless waiting for their prey. In this case, the heron is more at rest as it's head is tucked as opposed to their erect posture when stalking. Herons are common throughout the United States and are common in Oregon. However, I saw this particular heron at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on Maryland's famed eastern shore. I spent five straight mornings at the refuge and got some fantastic reference of all kinds of birds from waterfowl to shorebirds and songbirds.
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On the Prowl 8" x 10" acrylic

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A fox hunts on a winter's day. They have the ability to hear hiding rodents under the snow with their large, sensitive ears and can pounce and catch them without ever seeing them. The scenery in this painting is from my neighborhood on a snowy day and the fox was added as one could quite possibly be seen in this area. Unfortunately, my camera did not do the colors justice and the painting looks a bit different in person. The snow is not actually that pink in the painting....
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Wetland Reverie 8" x 10" acrylic $1100

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This painting is heading to Settler's West for the American Miniatures show next Saturday. The early morning scene was inspired from a trip to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge on a cool clear morning. The sun is just gracing the distant trees and has not yet reached the foreground.
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Snowy Prelude 9" x 12" acrylic $1200

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I redesigned this painting a bit by adding a second snowy egret. The original version, seen below, seemed to be missing something (at least to me). So, I sketched another smaller egret (so it could be in the distance) that was angled slightly toward the viewer on a piece of tracing paper and moved the paper around the painting - trying several different spots over the past couple of days. Seemingly, the only place it would work was lower in the paintng behind some reeds and in front of the main bird.

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Eurasian Autumn 4" x 4" acrylic $225

A Eurasian wigeon swims on the beautiful reflections of autumn. Eurasian wigeon are becoming more common in the United States and can be found among large flocks of the American version of the species - mostly along the west and east coasts. These birds most likely have migrated from Siberia and Iceland. In my hometown, there are about five that regularly winter on a pond at a local park along with several hundred of their American counterparts. What inspired me to create this painting was the fiery color in this males head and how it is reflected in the water.
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Snowy Prelude 9" x 12" acrylic $1200

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As a storm approaches, a snowy egret lifts up into the wind above the reeds. Egrets seem to evoke a sense of peace and solitude which is in contrast to the dark clouds above. I saw this particular bird at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge where they are common visitors. They are a smaller active egret and are distinguishable by their yellow feet.

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Northern Flicker 5" x 7" acrylic

SOLD Northern Flickers always seem to startle me because I never see them until they fly. Once they are airborne the red underwing (it's yellow on the East Coast) makes them easily identifiable. Although they are woodpeckers, flickers mostly choose to forage on the ground for ants and other bugs, which makes them so hard to see. Here one briefly lands on a picket fence before moving on. The posture of the bird is what I found intriguing. My Website

Eurasian Collared Dove 4" x 4" acrylic $225

Happy New Year!

My first post of 2011 is of a Eurasian Collared-Dove a relatively new species to North America. They were first introduced in the Bahamas and have since been spreading throughout the United States. There is now a permanent population in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. I saw this particular bird in my neighborhood. They are larger than mourning doves but still have the classic dove shape. The dark ring on it's neck is where the bird derives it's name.
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Il Paesaggio 12"x16" giclee print $125

Il Paesaggio means the landscape in Italian. This tuscan landscape painting was done for an Italian-themed website that will soon be launched and feature this painting in the form of 9" x 12" giclee prints on canvas. The original is sold, however, prints will retail for $125 and can be purchased at the link below.
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Wigeon Remarque #2 2" x 2" acrylic

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Here is a second remarque of a wigeon - this time in flight. Remarques are similar to my daily paintings in that they are miniature and take about a day to complete. However, they pose a bit more of a challenge in that they are so small it gets hard to correctly accomplish the level of detail I like. For example, something like creating the subtle color changes that foster the illusion of roundness (such as the shading on the underbelly shadows) can take more time to achieve.
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Wigeon Remarque #1 2" x 2" acrylic

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This remarque is one of several that I am finishing up for the the 2010 Texas Duck Stamp prints. If you are not familiar with what a remarque is, it is a tiny original painting completed in the margin of the print making it a unique piece of artwork which, in turn, increases the value of the print substantially. If you are interested in owning one of my limited edition prints and having it remarqued, feel free to email me - pmathios@comcast.net.

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Junco 5" x 7" acrylic

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A dark-eyed junco rests on a cool, overcast autumn morning. These birds, which are members of the sparrow family, can be found throughout North America. In fact, they are one of the most numerous species of birds totalling over 630 million individuals. Most people notice them as they flock together during winter months. Their plumage seems to vary from coast to coast and the markings of this bird are of the 'Oregon Junco'.
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Suisun Evening 5" x 7" acrylic $265

Evening descends on California's Suisun Marsh as the last rays of sunlight escape through the overcast. This area has special meaning to me as a grew up hunting and exporing the marsh, which is one of the largest brackish water marshes in the United States. As a kid, I used to explore every nook and cranny in search of anything I could find be it different birds (and there are alot) or small mammals. This area and it's wildlife has been the subject of numerous paintings through the years and will be for years to come as it is where my passion for wildlife and wild places started.
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Downy Woodpeckers 5" x 5" acrylic

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A pair of downy woodpeckers scales the side of a tree. Originally, this painting only had one woodpecker in it (the one on the side), but it seemed too rigid. After thinking about how to add more interest, I decided to add the second bird which is strategically placed to move the viewers eye around the painting. The bird is looking toward the one on the left and the angle of its body posture lends to the directional movement. The other elements like the tree branch and the hint of thinner branches in the back assist with the flow of the eye as well.

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Carolina Wren 5"x5" acrylic $245

This carolina wren was foraging in the brush around a wetland in Maryland and when it worked its way up this tree to this natural cavity, I thought I had found a nesting site. The morning light lit up the buff-colored breast and I knew I had to paint it, especially since it is the first carolina wren that I have seen in person.

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Autumn Wetland 5" x 7" acrylic $265

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Falls colors are changing and the last remnants of the morning fog are giving way to blue skies. This painting was done intentionally in a looser style as an experiment to see how realistic I could make something while painting quickly and loosely.
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Evening Marsh 5" x 7" acrylic

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Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge basks in dusks final grasp... I have been inspired lately by landscape paintings and am excited to do a few of my own including a few in oils. This particular part of the refuge is off the main auto route and out quite a way. I had the place to myself and got a bit too far because part of the road I was on was flooded over. Apparently, the Chesapeake Bay has a bit of a surge during windy high tides. I tried driving through the floods a bit, but I felt my little rental car was a bit to low to the ground to handle anything deeper than a foot so I turned around.
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Tranquil Evening 5" x 7" acrylic

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A solitary duck glides through the calm evening water. Marshes at this time of day (as well as at dawn) are a special place and hold special memories for me. The abundunt life, the smells and the sounds all lend to a unique sense of tranquility. I observed a similar scene to this while visiting the East Coast last week and touring Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge.
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Chickadee and Sumac 8" x 10" acrylic

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This painting depicting a chickadee foraging on sumac berries is currently exhbiting at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, MD. The colors of the original painting have been lost a bit in this photograph as the background features warmer tones of greens and ocres to compliment the red berries.

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Meadow's Edge 5" x 7" acrylic

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I saw this bull elk in Yellowstone National Park. The elk have become harder to spot outside of Mammoth Hot Springs but this lone bull was found on the edge of Gibbon Meadow.
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On the Hunt 5" x 7" acrylic

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This healthy coyote was faniscinating to watch as he hunted his way through the Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park. Every now and then he would pounce at an unsuspecting meal in the tall grass. Pronghorn didn't seem to mind his presence although they did keep a watchful eye.

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Winter Woodies 9" x 12" acrylic

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This painting will be available November 12th at Collector's Covey in Dallas, TX for their annual miniature painting exhibition. When I first saw this spot while exploring this shallow lake on Sauvie Island, I thought "Wow! this would look fantastic with a group of wood ducks." - and the painting idea was born. As it so happens there were nesting boxes in some of the surrounding trees, so I knew that they used the area at times, especially in the spring. Ultimately, the intricate, reflective patterns created by the fallen trees and the marsh grasses are what inspired this scene and twelve wood ducks filled the area as I imagined.
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