Tundra Swan

You don't think about swans being in Alaska, but
there are. They are called tundra swans, and
they are white with black beaks and black feet.
I saw some in the distance several times on the
trip, but took this photo at the Anchorage zoo.

I love painting birds, and have done hundreds of
them over the years. There is a very important
art show held every year in Jackson Hole called
"Birds in Art". To be accepted into this show is
a great honor. I have submitted about a dozen
entries over the years, and have never made it
into the show. I do receive the catalog each time,
and pour over the entries, trying to determine
what the judges are looking for, and what constitutes
an acceptable entry. Most of the entries are
inspiring works depicting birds of all kinds; some are
on the abstract side. But one year, after I had sent
what I considered a really great entry, I was rejected
again. As I perused the catalog once more, I noticed
a painting by a very well known artist. As I studied
it, I couldn't find a bird anywhere. It was a painting
of a beach and the ocean, and as I looked, I could see
faint bird footprints in the sand! That was it! All he
painted was some sand, and some water, and he made
it into "Birds in Art"! I haven't entered since!


Tundra Swan original watercolor 22 x 14 $300.00