Blue-headed Vireos are one of my all-time favorite birds. They seem like little teddy bears. They are too cute for words, and that little white eye ring is the icing on the cake.
I tend not to see them other than during migration, and then they are a real treat. One of my favorite birding experiences was a fall day in northern Ohio when there was a big push of Blue-headed Vireos, and they seemed to be everywhere at the Maumee Bay Boardwalk Trail.
I’ve seldom had cooperative Blue-headed Vireos to photograph. We did have one late bird visiting our backyard last fall, and I snapped a few photos. The shots weren’t great, with bad definition and borderline focus through the window. Additionally, there was a branch blocking portions of the bird in every photo, but I had enough shots combined for use as a decent reference.
I grew up knowing this bird as the Solitary Video. Years after the name change, I still frequently call them that.
Because my photo reference was pretty lame, I reinvented the lighting to make it more interesting. In a lot of recent work, I’ve found myself ignoring my reference and being less literal with color. While it might be argued that these pieces are less accurate and/or less literal, I think they have ended up being better paintings and have more interesting color and sense of light. I’ve also been doing more wet-on-wet washing, which leaves a little less saturation and helps blur out details in the backgrounds. This one was definitely great fun to work on.
Let me know if you’re interested in buying the original watercolor or a print of this painting. Some of my work is also available for licensing.
Leave a Reply