This painting was especially fun to work on. I took numerous photos of Bearded Barbets at the Toledo Zoo. Images taken in zoos have their limits. Often the backgrounds leave a lot to be desired. After a lot of research, I thought I’d paint the bird on some palms native to their home range. Palm fronds always offer interesting intersecting and overlapping patterns that make for a lively canvas. The sea of bright green would really help pop the complementary reds of the bird off the page.
Barbets come in a variety of colors, some drab and some colorful. Most have bristly feathers by their bills. They are related to woodpeckers, sharing characteristics like zygodactlyate feet (2 toes forward and two back.) Bearded Barbets are named for their bristly beard of feathers. They are native to the Ivory Coast of Africa.
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