Daily Wildlife Painting, Oil, Birds, "The Gangs All Here" 4x12 SOLD

I think pelicans must be very social critters.

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I cannot help but wonder what these are thinking.........safety in numbers?  Fishing strategies?  Chase away the herons?  Gossip???

I kind of like this idea....big fish, little pelicans.

I spent the weekend at the beach in Sanibel and had the opportunity to observe plenty of pelicans.  Did you know, the brown pelican is the only one that hunts while flying and then dive bombs into the water to catch it's prey.

That's it for Pelican Week at Carol Schiff Studio.

Daily Painting, Original Oil, "Pelican Portrait" 8x6" SOLD

Here it is FRIDAY and PELICAN WEEK is quickly drawing to a close.

SOLD

Today, I am posting several of my favorite pelicans from the past.  This guy was hanging out at a fishing pier, waiting for a chance to get lucky with a fisherman's catch.

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This group looked like they were out on patrol.......maybe looking for unlucky mullet or possibly chasing the herons away.

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I found this one, early one morning, hanging out at the Eau Gallie Yacht Club.  So, of course, I called this painting "Just hanging out".

And now, one more..............

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Hey!!!  WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?????!!!!???

Isn't that just like a couple of gulls to barge in where they don't belong!

I am taking the weekend off, to celebrate the holiday, so I will see you Tuesday for the final post of PELICAN WEEK.........NO GULLS ALLOWED!

Daily Painting, Original Oil, Birds, "The Loner"

A wonderful bird is the pelican.........

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100

His bill will hold more than his belly can.

He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.........

But I'm damned if I see how the hell he can!
Unknown

That is a little poem from my childhood days.  I lived in Ohio, my grandparents in Florida.  My grandmother had a postcard of a pelican that included that poem.  Florida seemed like a magical place to me then, and the poem stayed with me through the years.

Join me tomorrow for more of Pelican Week!

Daily Painting, Oil Original, "Pelican Buddies", 6x8" SOLD

King and Queen of the Pelican we;

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No other birds so grand we see!
None but we have feet like fins
With lovely leathery throats and chins!

Edward Lear

It's PELICAN WEEK at Carol Schiff Studio.  All my posts this week will feature
pelicans!

Happy Monday!

Daily Painting, Birds, "Pelican Patrol" 6x18" sold

You may notice that these are not your everyday type of pelicans.  Most pelicans are brown and gray and kind of dull, unless they are a breeding male, their heads turn yellow during breeding season.

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These beautiful birds, are larger, and a little on the rare side.  I found these in Sebastian, Florida where a large colony lives.

I think they are much more attractive with their brightly colored orange beaks and feet.  They seem to get along just fine with the brown guys.

Daily Painting, Seagull, Original Oil, 6x8" "Johnathan Livingston"

This guy is obviously cruisin', looking for lunch.   It always reminds me of that popular book from the 70's, "Johnathan Livingston Seagull".

I think this guy is saying "Is that a fat fish I see down there?".  Have no clue what the bluebird with a paintbrush  is doing!!!

Have a wonderful weekend...ENJOY!


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90

Daily Painting, Oil, "The Gull", 6x8" SOLD

If you live close to the sea, these guys are a part of your everyday life.  This one looks a little serious, like he has a job to do and is going to get it done.

When my grandson was four, we went to the beach for a picnic.  When I casually mentioned to him that the sea gulls were after his sandwich, he gobbled it down.  Unfortunately, he didn't want to go to the beach for years afterwards.  The mere mention of the "beach" conjured up thoughts of a bird attack ala Alfred Hitchcock!  Bad Grandma!!



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SOLD

Daily Painting, Bird, "Snowy Egret" 6x8"

I found this guy on a recent photo shoot at the river.  He was trying hard to ignore me.

He kept flying away when I got too close.

But, he never had a chance; captured with my trusty ZOOM lens!





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120

Pelican Daily Painting, 5x7, "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" SOLD

Well, technically, he was sitting on the dock of the harbor, but you get the idea...he was looking for lunch!

I met this guy while eating lunch at an out door cafe in Vero Beach.

Unlike the noisy and aggressive gulls, he was not interested in my lunch, but looking out for himself.

I hope you get a chance to "hang out" today too!  I hope you enjoy my daily paintings.

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SOLD

THE FREEDOM TO BE YOURSELF, 6X8, OIL, SOLD

You have the freedom to be yourself,
your true self,
here and now -
and nothing can stand in your way!

Jonathan Livingston Seagull
from a very popular book of the 70's

My second choice for a title is "He said, she said".  Also during the 70's one of the top women's magazines of the day, I think it was McCalls or maybe Redbook, had a monthly article called "Can this marrriage be saved?"
They would write the wife's story under "she said" and the husband's version under "he said" and then a counselor of some kind would write an analysis of what was wrong in the marriage and what the couple needed to do to improve the situation.  So, when I looked at this painting, to me it looks like "he" is saying and maybe "she" is not buying it.

Which title do you like the best?  Hmmmmm, I think I just told you how old I am!

Reference photo by Shelley Smart

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SOLD

PELICAN PARADE, 6X8, OIL-SOLD

Not too far from where I live, there is a colony of white pelicans.  I believe they are very rare and only found in a few locations in the world.
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SOLD

PELICAN PATROL, 6X8, OIL, SOLD

These are rare white pelicans that winter in our area.  I am not sure where they live in the summer, but in the winter they travel primarily to Sebastian, FL to hang out for a few months.  Now, I live maybe 25 miles away, but I have never seen a white pelican in my town.  They only go to Sebastian.  So here they are heading out to get some fresh dinner.

PELICAN PORTRAIT, 5X7, OIL, SOLD

I posted a full body view of this guy earlier this month. I had so much fun painting him, that I decided to do another one. Don't you think he is kind of cute?

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THE BROWN DUCK, 6X8, OIL,SOLD

Sometime back I did a couple of duck paintings and promised to do another. One thing led to another and the project got put on the back burner. The mood finally struck and I painted this one. The ducks are in the mountains of North Carolina and the thing that attracted me to them was the beautiful water color. The lake is surrounded by thousands of trees and the water at the marina, where I took this photo, is a brilliant emerald green. So brilliant, it looks artificial. On this work, the sky is reflecting in the water and the green shows only in the shadow.

EBONY AND IVORY, 6X8, OIL,SOLD

Remember the "marina pup" I posted about a while ago? Well, these ducks live at the same marina. I cannot help but think of the great song "Ebony and Ivory" when I look at this work. I had the song running through my head the entire time I was painting.

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