Sustained Investigation #1

Artist Statement:

In this investigation, as well as future investigations this year, I will be exploring the inquiry: "How can I show different species of native birds in their habitats?" For this piece of artwork, I chose (probably) the most famous bird associated with Maine, the Black Capped Chickadee. I decided to leave most of the background pretty neutral but chose white and brownish colors to fill it out to suggest what might be behind it. The tree was originally going to be a pine tree, like on the generic Maine license plate, but I decided that I wanted to add forget-me-nots into the picture, as they are one of my favorite flowers. I decided to make the Chickadee perch on a "forget-me-not tree," which technically does not exist, but I made them up because I wanted to for the purpose of my artwork.

I mostly used gouache for this artwork, as it is a bit in between watercolor and acrylic paint. I also liked it because It created nice matte colors and was pretty easy to navigate in general. gouache is also good for layering other materials on top of it. For some smaller details, I used a white gel pen, some graphite pencils, some fine-tipped pens, and some colored pencils, which added more depth to this painting.

To start off, I had to create my Mind Map (featured above). This gave me some ideas about the species of bird I wanted to do first, as well as what habitat I wanted to put it in. I was originally going to choose a Northern Cardinal for the colors, but I switched to a Chickadee to start off a little easier. They have a simpler appearance than the Cardinals. After I had chosen my subject, I did some research on the habits of Chickadees, as well as what they symbolize. I then researched some pictures of Chickadees posing, as well as at fields of forget-me-not flowers. I was originally going to have a child holding a Chickadee in its hand, standing in a field of forget-me-nots. I decided that I wanted the Chickadee to be in a tree instead, but I wanted to keep the forget-me-nots. Enter the forget-me-not tree. I then sketched out my design on watercolor paper, using colored pencils. I then began adding in the gouache and began to form my painting. Once I was done painting and making adjustments, I added smaller details using the materials listed above. To end the process, I added a layer of varnish with a spray can to give my art a finished look.