A male northern cardinal alights upon a single stem of wheat that yields under its weight. The vibrant red bird, painted in detail with a fine paint brush, is depicted with wings fanned out to slow its descent, and tiny talons reaching downward to grasp the narrow shaft of wheat. The landing is a dynamic and delicate freezeframe taken from nature and overlaid on a background of vibrant yellow hues. I used a palette knife to sculpt paint onto the 30x30 board, a technique that gives the piece a textural look akin to crackling parchment.
The vertical orientation of the sculpted yellow acrylics brings to mind the freshness of sunshine at daybreak, the time of day when our feathered subject is out searching for nourishment. The wire-thin stem, which appears rooted in unseen ground, supports the impossible weight of the cardinal, whose orange beak is tilting in toward the wheat’s tasty kernel and fuzzy head. Or maybe the cardinal has been flying off with the wheat this whole time. It’s possible we may never know.