I have never painted a brown pelican before – this is my first. I have completed several small white pelican pieces, however – but the brown seemed to be much more ‘exotic’ in it’s coloring. It was a real treat to paint it.
Being in the near-center of North America, I never saw a lot of these birds until I traveled to the coasts. I have had so many nice opportunities to watch them – especially enjoying their stunning displays as they dive into the ocean fishing. One of my galleries on the East Coast suggested that I paint this one for them…so I did. 
I chose this plumage phase of the pelican because of the striking coloring. The colors seemed to compliment each other so well. I posted a cropped image of the head so one can see the fine feathers and texture that are in the painting. (The scans are, however, a bit harsh compared to the original painting.)
The original watercolor was a part of a contemporary miniature show at Decoys and Wildlife Gallery – http://www.decoyswildlife.com and is now in a private collection.
Giclee prints are available of this piece – please drop me an email if you would like to add it to your collection.
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November 7th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Wow, I especially love the water in this one.
I’m awful at water, I tend to just render it in photoshop when I need it.
It’s kind of cheating though. Heh.
And it doesn’t ever come out nearly as beautiful as yours!
Have a look here;
http://www.clansoul.com/vector/swandesktop.jpg
November 9th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Hi Rebecca…..I see these birds pretty much everyday. I only live minutes away from the Chesapeake Bay and I must say that you did a terrific job with this. I’m a big fan of your work.
All the best,
Scott
November 10th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Rebecca, on the web or e-mail which do I go to in order to findout the avialability of a painting?