"Wishful Thinking"

WOW! has it really been since March that I last posted!! Where does the time go? I decided to revisit several pieces I started but never went back to for some reason. This one is a large oil, 16" x 20", of an egret I saw walking through the canals at Venice Beach. The canals were very dark that day, and it almost looked like there was an oil slick floating on top. You know how you see all those different kaleidoscope colors on the top of water when oil is there - yeah, sorta like that. So there was this beautiful white bird.....fishing? I have no idea what he thought he was going to find in that muck, thus the appropriate title. I consulted with a wonderful wildlife artist I know, Rod Lawrence, about what to do with this piece as I was finding myself stumped. Something wasn't right. He made some wonderful suggestions and that's what I've been working on. The first image showing is where I started, the second image is where I'm headed. Far from done, so stay tuned!