New Work: Suburban Bird

Suburban Bird. Oil & Encaustic. 12 x 16. © 2009 Haley Nagy.

I think it is finally finished. It feels like it is missing something, but I may just need to leave it alone for a couple of days and come back to it later. I initially tried painting the birds with a light gray glaze to prevent the image from feeling too “bottom-heavy”, but it was unsuccessful (as you can see here). There’s something much more satisfying about the telephone wires dappled with dark, bird-shaped specks, don’t you think? I’m fascinated with how birds congregate on these wires moments before sunset… like some sort of secret ritual we are allowed to witness but aren’t meant to understand.

This is one of my submissions to the Degrees exhibit so I took this picture of the painting in its frame in order to get a sense of what it might look like in the gallery. I would love to hear your feedback about the work. How does it looked framed? Does it feel finished?

If you are interested in the process of how this was made, the progression of this work is documented on two of my previous posts: Evolution of a Work in Progress: Part 1 and Part 2. By the way, if this work isn’t selected for the show it will soon be available on my new Etsy site (launching mid-April). How exciting is that?

P.S. Here’s wishful thinking courtesy of Museumr.

•