Woman with Red Winged Blackbird

Woman with Red Winged Blackbird

Woman with Red Winged Blackbird is my new painting of the week. It’s actually a redo of a painting I did in 2015. While painting my mom in the canoe a few weeks ago, I realized that over time, I’ve gotten a little better at faces; so, I pulled out this older painting and ended up redoing most of it. I feel like her face works a bit better. I then decided to change the crow and make him a red winged blackbird. I took a bit of artistic license as you don’t usually see them at birdbaths. Their habitat is in fields close to water. I used to see them all the time when I was a park ranger leading tours on trails through the marshes.

I’ve admired the works of the Pre-Raphaelite painters of Victorian England who rebelled from the style at the time by painting women with long flowing hair using rich, vivid colors in natural settings. I remember seeing some of their paintings at the Tate Gallery in London back in my early 20’s and being moved by the large size and richness of colors. This painting is a nod to that style.

Crow Visits a Girl in the Garden

Crow Visits a Girl in the Garden – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

Crow Visits a Girl in the Garden is my most recent painting.  After painting the Girl and Wolf, where the girl’s face was so small, I  felt the urge to paint a larger portrait. The crows are back in our neck of the woods so they’ve been on my mind.  I thought it would be interesting to place a crow with the girl in a garden scene.  I’m fairly pleased, it was a fun challenge.

It is quite chilly this morning and the leaves are just starting to turn, feels like fall now.  The sky is bright and it will be warming up shortly,  It’s great to have such a beautiful weekend after the past few dreary, rainy ones.  I plan to go visit a local art festival this afternoon.   Hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Purchase print here:  Crow Visits a Girl in the Garden

Bluebird in Spring

Bluebird in Spring – acrylic painting by Heni Sandoval

At last, spring is in full force here in Atlanta.  The flowers are blooming and the tree leaves are out with their lovely light green color so striking against the bright blue sky.  I have been spending the past week working in our yard;  starting to tame all the overgrowth.  Even though I have a degree in landscape architecture, I’ve never been much of a gardener.  A few years ago we put in some large flower beds and planted a few smaller flowering and evergreen trees that now are helping to define our yard; but with no attention, the English ivy, poison ivy and blackberry brambles had taken over.  I’m learning the lesson that with care early in the season, when the ground is moist and mosquitoes not out yet, gardening can actually be kind of fun.  I’m planting perennials where the weeds were along with mulch hoping to encourage a lovely, easily maintained garden.

I painted Blue Bird in Spring last spring.  It was fun to paint, I tried to make it look like an old vintage postcard symbolizing spring.  On my walks I often see bluebirds flying about.  The bluebird symbolizes joy.  When I was young the bluebirds had disappeared.  People began to make an effort to bring them back by putting up bird houses in their yards and meadows.  The bluebirds returned; it’s encouraging to realize how resilient nature is.  I painted this bluebird to remind me of how joyful and resilient life can be!

Print available here:

Front yard view