Commission: Cattle Egret (2011), 11 x 14"

I painted this graceful bird as a commission. I decided to paint it in a more realistic style than many of my paintings, because I wanted to be sure to capture the character of the bird, not just its general shape. I am really happy with how this painting turned out--from a certain distance it looks like a photograph. Below is the original photo along with the different stages of progress.One other interesting bit about this painting is that I didn't know in the beginning what kind of bird this was. We originally thought it was a Great White Heron (a genetic variant of the Great Blue Heron), but they are pure white over their entire bodies. This bird has brownish/orangish plumage on its head, back, and chest. After doing some internet research I was able to find out that it is actually a Cattle Egret. Here are some other photos I found:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cattle_Egret_%28Bubulcus_ibis%29_-Florida_Keys2.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cattle_Egret_%28Bubulcus_ibis%29_-Florida_Keys.jpg