Flamingo Paisleys sketch, mixed media by Kerry McFall
The San Diego Zoo welcomes you with a breath-taking splash of Hot Caribbean Pink, the perfect color therapy for difficult times. The Flamingo Pond caught my eye for sketching the minute I walked through the entry last week – such gorgeous, elegant colors and shapes! Out came the watercolors and the squeezy brush, and splish-splash I almost captured those vibrant pinky-oranges. A week later back at home, I pulled out my sketchbook again and studied the shapes more closely. I decided that flamingos are really a simple series of paisleys… I sketched out my impressions on the painting, and plan to work them into one of my “diangle” projects.
But the flamingos weren’t finished with me.
I tried another painting from my photos of just one bird, balancing on one leg and looking quite smug. Even the tiniest of eyes can convey conceit: “I can stand on one leg forever and you fall over after 10 seconds – hah!” I need to work on lengthening the neck and legs for my next bird… and on my own balance!