All of these are new oil paintings on canvas board, framed and available. I painted them all at 5″ x 7″, the frame makes the outside edge 8″ x 10″. All are $95 each, shipping included, which is a bit cheaper than what it says on Etsy. Live in Port Townsend or the Quimper Peninsula, I can deliver.
A few months ago I painted similar offerings as these, now mostly sold, and tended to focus on entire stories with little birds involved. They were more like the chickadee painting, above, with the bird a center of interest in an entire ecosystem. These new paintings are more focused on the bird itself, as if the viewer were eyeball-to-eyeball with a little ball of fluff.
Fun for me to have enough information to understand how the eye sits in relation to the bill and head shape. If you’d like to learn more, or want any of these, just drop me an email at larryeifert@gmail.com.
Thanks for reading this week. You can sign up for emails for these posts on my website at larryeifert.com.
A quick look on the left shows one of the other paintings, Royal Lake Trail, sitting in my tool area.
These are my most recent small oil studies, plus a few still available, all painted in the past couple of months. Some have been shown here before, some not. They’re all on canvas board and varnished. Painting sizes are all the same, 5″x7″. The outside frames measure 7″x9″. They are all framed as you see them here.
Downy Woodpecker
The idea process here was a tiny bird on a big tree. These little woodpeckers, only 6″ long weigh less than an ounce. They make great painterly subjects because the darker whites seem to change a bit with the seasons. This one was on the big Douglas-fir right outside our studio porch. Those are little wisps of old-man’s beard lichen in the upper corner.
Black-tailed Deer in Rosehips
Lots of Columbian black-tailed deer here. Walking on a local trail in Port Townsend, I became sort of lost in the masses of rose hips on the Nootka roses I was passing. Amazing colors this time of year (early spring), and in places the branches are starting to turn purplish red with spring flush of juice. When I got back in the studio I started playing around with some samples I broke off to take. She was in the thicket, too.
Red Squirrel
I’m greeted each morning by several of these little feisty squirrels as they await me to toss some sunflower seeds on the big tray feeder. Brazen little creatures, they’re not so easy to paint. In summer, they seem a bit more brown, winter coat is more gray – an adaptation to owl safety, maybe.
Royal Basin Trail above the Lake
Lots going on in this little painting, maybe because I didn’t want to leave the place lodged in my mind. This is a trail I’ve been on many times! It takes the hiker up past Royal Lake and into a truly sensational alpine area. Surrounded by some of the tallest peaks in the Olympic Mountains, I have wandered here wishing I’d just become a marmot so I wouldn’t have to leave. I tend to paint these trail images from memory, often in winter when I can’t get there physically.
House Finch
House finches have this odd way of looking down their beaks, as if they’re twisting sideways to see better. It’s almost like they’re judging me. But just try to paint one doing this. Not sure I got it correct, but I liked the colors a lot. That’s Carmine Lake paint, by the way, a color not to be forgotten.
When it fell, this was probably the biggest alder we have have here – and it was already dead when it collapsed of rot and time. I was looking at it not long ago and noticed how nicely the log was providing nest holes and insects for the birds – and so I painted this little story-painting about it. The chickadee really was there, bouncing around the new plants growing on the log’s top.
These are all priced like the others at $95 each, framed. Shipping will be USPS and will add a bit more, but the cost of shipping is fairly low. Email me if you’re interested in knowing more. larryeifert@gmail.com
You might have missed the other posts of these little oils, but I’ve been doing these to test different mixes of medium, linseed oil, thinner and driers like cobalt and Liquin. I’m still not ‘there’ yet with it, but making these small paintings has been very fun for me – and having painted full-time for so many decades now, I find it amazing it can still feel fresh. So, I’m continuing on with new efforts.
These are my most recent oil studies, all painted in the past couple of weeks. They’re on canvas board and varnished. Painting sizes are all the same, 5″x7″. The outside frames measure 7″x9″. They are all framed as you see them here.
Chickadee in the Rose Hips framed Sorry, this is sold.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee in the Nootka Rose Hips Sold
Walking on a local trail here in Port Townsend, I became sort of lost in the masses of rose hips on the Nootka roses I was passing. Amazing colors this time of year, and in places the branches are starting to turn purplish red with spring flush of juice showing spring is close! When I got back in the studio I started playing around with some samples I broke off. Two of these paintings came from that.
Bewicks Wren on the Lichen Branch framed
Bewick’s Wren on the Lichen Branch
The Trail Past Grand Lake framed
This is a trail I’ve been on many times! It leads the hiker up past Royal Lake and into an alpine zone truly sensational to see. Surrounded by some of the tallest peaks in the Olympic Mountains, I have wandered here wishing I’d just become a marmot so I wouldn’t have to leave. I tend to paint these trail images from memory, usually in winter when I can’t get there physically.
The Trail Past Royal Lake, Olympic National Park (just 24 miles from my studio).
Downy Woodpecker on Douglas-fir framed
These little woodpeckers, only 6″ long and less than an ounce in weight are different here than in the Eastern forests. They’re darker, less pure white, but it varies. They make great painterly subjects because the darker whites seem to change a bit with the seasons. This one was on the Douglas-fir right outside our studio porch. Those are little wisps of old-man’s beard lichen in the upper corner.
Downy Woodpecker on Douglas-fir
Black-tailed Deer behind the Winter Rose Hips framed
Black-tailed Deer behind the Rose Hips
These are priced like the others at $95 each, framed. Shipping will be USPS and will add a bit more, but the cost of shipping is fairly low. Email me if you’re interested in knowing more. larryeifert@gmail.com
You might have missed the other posts of these little oils, but I’ve been doing these to test different mixes of medium, linseed oil, thinner and dries like cobalt and Liquin. I’m still not ‘there’ yet with it, but making these have been very fun for me – and painting for so many decades now, I find it amazing this can still feel fresh and alive to see them appear on the canvas.
Here are five more of my little oil studies – and all are available at the moment. Drop me an email at larryeifert@gmail.com if you’re interested in purchasing them, or would like to see some of the others I haven’t posted yet. They’re all on linen canvas board, 5″x7″ and the framed outside measurements are 7″ x 9″. Shipping isn’t much as they’re small paintings. Email me if you’d like to know more about any of these: larryeifert@gmail.com Think Valentine’s Day!
Bewick’s Wren framed Sorry, it’s sold
Bewick’s Wrens are classic LBJs (little brown jobs) that I see right outside my studio window. That upright long cocked tail with the spots is a giveaway to which wren it is. The branch is a twig I brought in to the studio so I could have a first-hand model. Framed: $95 and available.
Bewick’s Wren oil on canvas Sorry, it’s sold
Bufflehead portrait framed
From a distance, I don’t often see the crazy iridescence on these beautiful birds, but walking recently on the local section of the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail (not two miles from our place here), one popped up next to shore and I could see the rainbow colors on the bird’s head. So, I made a painting of the experience. Bufflehead portrait is available. 7″x9″ outside measurements, $95 framed.
Bufflehead portrait oil on canvas board
Chestnut-backed Chickadee framed Sorry, it’s sold
Chestnut-backed Chickadees are the true Northwest Coast’s own chickadee species. There are others here, but this one is only here along the west-edge forests that have these reddish to brown needles, tree lichens and leaves, so it really blends in well here. I paint them often. This chickadee painting is available. 7″x9″ outside measurements, framed for $95.
Chestnut-backed Chickadee oil on canvas board Sorry, it’s sold
Douglas Squirrel framed
Douglas Squirrels, also red squirrel or chickaree is the Western forest squirrel in its various forms. In the Puget Sound lowlands, it’s called Douglas Squirrel after David Douglas, discoverer of maybe other things like Douglas-fir. He’s one of my heros, getting constantly lost and having the Indians save him. This little squirrel is fearless, and several of ours have allowed me close contact. They’re good at breaking into our studio’s shingled roof attic and yelling at the house cat.
I painted this from a photo I took of the rascal! It’s available. 7″x9″ outside measurements, framed for $95.
Douglas Squirrel oil on canvas board
Dark-eyed Junco on Queen Anne’s Lace framed
Dark-eyed Juncos are all over our place here, and recently one crashed into a window thinking it was a pathway to another part of the forest. So, this is a homage to that bird. Maybe you will live on, memorialized on a wall somewhere, little friend. They’re beautiful and subtle little birds. I’ve painted these guys many times. 7″x9″ outside measurements, $95 framed.
Dark-eyed Junco on Queen Anne’s Lace oil on canvas board
