I am currently working on several commissions for clients. Images and notes about them are listed on my commissions page. Thankfully, they all seem to be going rather well — likely because I am very drawn to the subjects. Swans and owls are some of my favorite birds, as you may have noticed. :)
I find that painting comes much easier when I have “met” or observed the subject closely. It is a bit easier to visualize the animal/subject as three dimensional. After the completion of these commissioned pieces mentioned above, I hope to be able to start on a number of new wildlife paintings in the near future — several birds in particular. I often have so many ideas in my head for new work that it would be impossible to paint them all. Experiencing other areas of the United States and animal or bird species during our travels to exhibitions usually add new ideas for painting as well. For me anyway, I think gathering inspiration for new work is one of the most enjoyable parts of being an artist.