"The Interlude"

When I go on walks through the woods, cardinals are one of my favorite birds to listen for and find. They have a distinctive high-pitched, short chirp and when I hear it I stop and look in the general direction I felt the sound was coming from. Sometimes I will see a quick bright red blur off in the brush come to rest on a branch and become a beautiful cardinal. The red isn't as powerful in the winter as in the spring but the red against white snow, to me, is beautiful and is why I chose to depict a cardinal in this painting.

In order to draw and paint wildlife I need to truly experience it. I need to be able to touch the trees, walk on the ground, smell the air, see the bird through binoculars and a camera, hear the birds and my surroundings, and observe my subjects. I stood in 13 inches of new fallen snow and experienced the cold wind, heard the cardinals and other birds, and experienced numb fingers as I took notes, observed, and shot photos for this painting.

The title reflects my love of music. By definition the word interlude is anything that fills time between two events. In my painting the cardinal is not only resting in between flying but is also taking a break between songs.