"Deco Rooster" 10"X8" acrylic

Deco Rooster by April M Rimpo

Deco Rooster

Fluid Acrylic

10" X 8"

$190

Original Available at Columbia Art Center Gallery Store
6100 Foreland Garth, Columbia, Maryland
410-730-0075

Giclee Prints also available

9.75" X 7.5" print on watercolor paper

fits 14" X 11" standard size mat

$95*

Purchase giclee prints on watercolor paper in my Spreesy Shop. 

I also have a collection of merchandise with the Deco Rooster. You'll find a journal, apron, mugs, a teapot, coasters, glass cutting board, throw pillow, and tote bags. Prices range from $4.99 to $29.99

I never start a painting without a plan, until now.  No intended color scheme, just a drawing of the rooster? Well it happened. Let me know what you think of the result.

I had sketched the Bantam rooster on an 11"X11" piece of watercolor paper in preparation of demos during Art Walk, but didn't get to it that day.  So I sat down in my studio knowing rooster and size of the painting.  Since this type of rooster is black and white, I wanted a bold background. I thought, well his comb and wattle are red, as is the eye ring and ear lobe, so I want red in some areas of the background. I selected one of the textures I like and was about to put down some red when I thought I should used some yellow first.  Red always pops a bit more with yellow behind.  Yellow and red were added to the paper in geometric shapes.  I extended the yellow behind where the roosters comb and wattle would be located and ended up with an L-shape of yellow. It seemed right to start with the wattle, comb, and eye so I did those before I finished developing the background.  They helped to establish the focal point and give me something to compare when deciding on the darkness of colors used elsewhere.

Next I thought I should add some black and gray to the background to help make the bright colors pop.  I selected areas where I thought the black would accentuate lighter areas of the rooster and applied those first. Gray was used to surround some of the black, establishing middle value to dark areas that would not distract you from looking at the rooster. The patterns of color in the background started to look like deco so I ended up adding more to accentuate that appearance.

Next I added some light washes on the rooster's body, to give some shape. Once dry, I added just enough dark edges to the feathers to identify the rooster as a Bantam without fussing about every feather.  I wanted him to pop out of the page.  I felt that too many detailed feathers would just add confusion over where to look - the feathers or the rooster's head.

You may have noticed I started with an 11"X11" sheet of paper thinking this would be a 10"X10" painting when done.  Even that changed!  In the end I decided to mount the painting on an 8X10" deep cradled panel, which looks great.  I enjoyed responding to one section of the painting to decide what to do next, but doing this on one of my larger paintings would have probably left me struggling with indecision.  

#HoCoArt #ShopSmall #SmallBizSat 

* Shipping cost included within the United States for the original painting and the giclee print.  

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider joining her friends and collectors by signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo 2015 All Rights Reserved. You may share my work with attribution and a link to this source site, but all other uses are prohibited.

"King of the Roost" SOLD

King of the Roost by April M Rimpo

King of the Roost is another rooster painting inspired by last year's trip to the Montgomery County Fair. There were quite a wide variety of roosters, but this one stood quite proud, showing off for the crowd. The real rooster was a Black Breasted Red Old English Rooster, but aficionados of this breed might have a hard time recognizing him. I definitely took liberties as only an artist can do with the colors and also the shape of the rooster's tail, which does not have such pointed feathers in its tail. I used some watercolor pencil to add strokes of color, although I'm not sure if they are visible in the finished work since layers of paint were added on top of the pencil lines.

Using chicken wire like patterns to give the illusion of feathers was a fun playful departure from reality. Adding geometric shapes to the background inserted some contrasting shapes to this very proud bird. Enjoy!

 King of the Roost SOLD at Still Life Gallery in Ellicott City.  

Interested in learning more about April's art inspirations, tips about her painting process, or art business tidbits? Want to know when her art is in exhibits? Consider signing up for her twice-monthly email.

Copyright April M Rimpo Art

Inspired at the Montgomery County Fair

In August my husband and I visited with my college roommate while strolling around the Montgomery County Fair.  She had been helping in the beekeeper exhibit that morning, so we met up for a long overdue visit.  One of the buildings held bunnies of every color and size and another contained rows and rows of roosters and hens.  I snapped lots of photographs, especially of the roosters and hens.  

One of my neighbors has a chicken coop.  We often hear the rooster crowing, but when I had asked her about photographing her rooster, she said I could but she didn't have a very pretty rooster and referred me to a neighbor.  So along came the Montgomery County Fair and I had no lack of choices.  Here are two that I decided to do as small acrylic paintings.  I took a lot of liberty with the color of the sitting rooster, but the standing rooster is pretty accurate.  On first glance you think this rooster is black and white, but there were many pale hues in the white feathers, which I just had to capture. You know me and color.  So enjoy these new little paintings.  I hear a kitchen calling out there somewhere that is just in need of a new spark of color.

 Sitting Rooster

Fluid Acrylic

6" X 6" Aquabord
Gold Frame
$85

SOLD

Strutting Rooster

Fluid Acrylic

10" X 8" gallery wrap canvas
$85
SOLD


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