American Kestrel, (watercolor, 8x10) by MCGW (Artists Network forums user name) features a well-rendered common bird of prey with a lively expression. The artist animated this small falcon with such a convincing sense of strength, energy and vitality, you can almost hear the bird’s call.

The picture has a strong composition based on a triangle formed by the kestrel, the limb upon which the bird perches and the tree trunk. No side of this triangle is parallel to the edges of the rectangular painting, which makes the composition stable but not static. On the other hand, this triangle is cropped a bit close to the edges, which makes the bird seem somewhat cramped. In particular, a little more room between the head and the top edge of the painting and between the tail and lower left corner would allow the composition to breathe more easily.

The expressive energy of the bird alone makes the painting a success, but the picture could be greatly improved if it conveyed a greater sense of depth. Regarding the bird itself, the flat background makes the kestrel look a bit like a pasted-on cutout. Also, a suggestion of shadow on the evenly lit body would give the falcon a stronger sense of volume and weight.

The reason the background looks flat is because there are no visual clues to distinguish the background layers. The entire middle ground is painted in the same values, texture and colors, so everything appears to be at the same distance. The far hills at the top are a cool blue, but too close in value to the middle ground. A gradation from a darker, more textured and warmer look at the bottom to a lighter, less textured and cooler look toward the top would create a greater illusion of receding space.

Another possible approach to painting the background would be to render it more like a photographic backdrop, with very soft and rather dark (or, alternately, very light) shapes suggesting foliage behind the bird. This would increase the value contrasts between the bird and the background.

A third way to handle the background would be to eliminate it altogether, as the great avian painter John Audubon did, and to show the bird against a white field. This method would completely remove any distracting colors and shapes from the composition, but might make the work look more like a specimen study rather a depiction of a bird in nature.

I would urge MCGW to experiment with these background techniques to see how they enhance the irrepressible energy of the bird that the artist has already shown such skill in capturing.

Click here to read about Greg Albert and his approach to critiquing.

Artwork for the Art Clinic is chosen from work posted on the Art Clinic forum, which is part of the Artists Network message board. (You must log on as a registered member to post on the Art Clinic forum.)