Exotic Moluccan Bird named Tango 239
The painting of the Moluccan Cockatoo is finished. This 30x20 in Mixed Media piece is full of vibrant colors and expressive brushwork, which gives the painting a lively feel. I hope that cockatoo lovers will appreciate this work and enjoy seeing a painterly representation of this exotic looking bird.
I have been working in-between commissions on and off on an Orientalist painting of an exotic bird named Tango. Tango is a Moluccan Cockatoo with a nice color that I decided to really punch up even further. As a pet portrait artist, I have painted tons of dogs, horses and cats, but very few birds. After receiving permission from his owner Len Charnoff to use Tango's photo as a reference, I wanted to put him in an Orientalist style setting.
The Model - Tango
"The Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) also known as the Moluccan Cockatoo, is a cockatoo endemic to the south Moluccas in eastern Indonesia. At a height of up to 46–52 cm and weight of up to 850 g, it is among the largest of the white cockatoos. The female is larger than the male on average. It has white-pink feathers with a definite peachy glow, a slight yellow on the underwing and underside of the tail feathers and a large retractable recumbent crest which it raises when threatened, revealing hitherto concealed bright red-orange plumes to frighten potential attackers. It may also be raised in excitement or in other 'emotional' displays. Some describe the crest as "flamingo-colored." It also has one of the louder calls in the parrot world and in captivity is a capable mimic." Source Wikipedia
Wing Detail
Here the objective was to stay colorful and really work on brush strokes and layering. The painting is slowly reaching it's last stages and unless I mess up should be ready for posting shortly. Well, it's back to painting for me :)
