Pink Hibiscus and Green-breasted Mango Hummingbird

Here is a fun custom painting that I just finished - a pink hibiscus flower and a green-breasted mango hummingbird.

The green-breasted mango is a tropical bird not common in the United States.  I've never seen one in New England, although they visit southern Texas and have traveled farther north on rare occasions. So I had to do some research to find out what they look like. They are so pretty with iridescent black, green and purple feathers!
I'll show you how I did this painting below:

Hummingbird and Red Bee Balm Oil Painting

It's always fun to try a painting in a different medium. When someone would like a watercolor I've painted to be done in oil or vice versa, I enjoy the experience.

The painting to the left is a 7x5 inch watercolor that I did some time ago.

A client asked if I could do the same painting for her but in oils instead of watercolor.  So this is a good opportunity to try it in my other favorite medium.

The oil painting will also be 7x5. I found that  I have a small canvas at that size - perfect!

What Does a Hummingbird Do When Resting?

Ruby-throated hummingbirds have been visiting my flower garden this summer like they always do. I don't put out feeders, instead I make sure there are plenty of blossoms they like.

Sometimes I'm super lucky to have a hummingbird fly in when I'm taking a photo of flowers. When I try to get a pic of them flying, they don't cooperate.

Like this one visiting a trumpet flower:

Hummingbird and Hibiscus Blossoms - an almost custom painting

OK, so why is this an ALMOST custom painting? The subject is one that a customer ordered at a specific size. No problem, she wanted an 11 x 14 inch painting of a ruby-throated hummingbird visiting some hibiscus flowers. I am happy with how it turned out. So what happened?

The problem started when we lost power here about 12 days ago due to a freak snowstorm in late October. Snowstorms don't normally cause long power outages in New England, but this one was heavy and deep and most of the oak trees had not yet lost their leaves. So the trees broke from the weight of the snow on their leaves. Those big old oaks fell helter skelter all over the power lines all over the state. A huge mess. We were without power for 10 days.

During this time, I worked on some custom paintings and this was one of them. With no way to access my emails for a while, I did not get the message that the painting was 14 inches tall by 11 inches wide. So I painted it 11 inches tall by 14 inches wide. Won't work.

At any rate, I'm now re-doing the painting again at the correct orientation, but meanwhile, here are some pics of my efforts on this one:

I only took 2 pictures while working on it. This first one shows the pencil drawing. I did not work out the composition on a separate paper for this but just drew right on the watercolor paper.

I felt very confident of what I wanted to do so there was not the problem of erasures messing up the paper surface.

You can click the images to see them larger.

I wet the background and washed in some pale colors. What is interesting is the speckled aspect of the background. Could it be because I'd soaked the paper in water from our brook (since well water was scarce during the outage)?  At any rate, I like the effect!

Next, I started on the hibiscus flowers. I love painting white flowers - there are so many colors that can be used in the shadows. If you look closely, you'll see blues, reds, yellows, violets, turquoise.

The deep magenta centers of these flowers really make them pop! Last I painted the leaves and the hummingbird.

Update: the painting is now sold! Please contact me if you'd like a print or custom painting done.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird and Hibiscus Flower Watercolor Painting

A little female Ruby-throated hummingbird visits one of the blossoms on my Rose of Sharon hibiscus bush. Every day in August I see them buzzing about and enjoy watching them from my front porch. So of course, I had to paint one! I've done many paintings of hummingbirds usually the male with its bright red throat, but the female is pretty too and I thought I'd give her some equal time.

The original painting has been sold, but  you can contact me if you'd like a print or a painting made just for you.

Hummingbird, Red Bee Balm, Crabapple Tree - Painting Outdoors

It was such a gorgeous day yesterday, that I could not stay inside. All plans for whatever I was GOING to paint went out the window as I headed out the door with paintbrush, palette and watercolor paper to paint in the garden.

The first painting I did yesterday was of the red bee balm blooming by the side of the house. I did not see the hummingbird fly to the flowers, but I heard him buzz by my head. So he was most likely waiting for me to finish the painting and be gone. That's what I did.

The second painting I did was totally unexpected. I'd set up my stuff underneath the crabapple tree and meant to paint the hydrangea flowers blooming in front of me.

However, I had not brought out the umbrella, so there were dappled sunlight and shadows on my paper meaning it would be difficult to see what I was doing. Rather than fight it, I just went with it and painted the shadows on my paper. This is what resulted. Lots of fun, and what a great day!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird Watercolor Painting

 

Have you ever had a close encounter with a hummingbird? It's quite an experience.
One day some years ago while working in my garden on a bright summer day, I heard a loud buzzing noise coming from the direction of my car. It sounded like a gigantic bee.
Curious, I went over to see what it could be and realized the noise was coming from one of the wheel wells. Bending down and looking very closely, I could just make out a tiny wing sticking out from under a flap of plastic. It was then that I realized the noise was coming from a bird which had gotten trapped under the car.
I gently lifted the flap and an exhausted hummingbird hopped out and onto the top of the tire. It sat there for a bit until I put my finger out. Then it hopped onto my finger. I brought it out into the light and let it rest in my hand.
When it had finally recovered, it took off like an arrow toward a tree across the yard. What an experience to hold one of these tiny birds!

What's your hummingbird story?

This painting is sold, but contact me if you would like a print or a painting done just for you.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Hummingbird and Rose of Sharon Hibiscus Flowers - watercolor

Have you ever had a lucky photograph? I did recently when taking photos of a white Rose of Sharon Hibiscus shrub.

As I pressed the shutter button, a hummingbird flew into the picture almost as if it wanted its picture taken. I was so pleased with this happy occurrence, it inspired me to do this painting.

• The original of this painting is sold.  Check my Etsy shop for currently available bird paintings or let me know if you'd like a print. Thanks for stopping by and hope you have some happy surprises today.

Hummingbird & Rose of Sharon Hibiscus - watercolor

Did you know that Rose of Sharon are a type of hibiscus? They look just like larger hibiscus flowers but have small blooms and grow as shrubs. Unlike the tropical hibiscus, Rose of Sharon are perennials in New England blooming in August through early September. They are a definite favorite with hummingbirds.

In this painting, a ruby-throated hummingbird stops by for a sip of nectar from a pink flower surrounded by five flower buds.

• The original of this painting is sold.  Check my Etsy shop for currently available bird paintings and prints or let me know if you'd like a print of this one.  Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely day!

Hummingbird and Trumpet Vine Flowers - watercolor

Walking this morning with my camera in hand, I passed by some bright trumpet vine flowers and stopped to take a couple of photos.

While snapping one shot, a hummingbird flew in to take a sip from the flowers. Love when that happens! It made a perfect reference photo. The picture of the hummingbird was not totally clear, but just enough for inspiration for this painting.

• The original of this painting is sold.  Check my Etsy shop for currently available bird paintings or let me know if you'd like a print. Thanks for stopping by to enjoy the little hummingbird!

Pink Azaleas and Hummingbird oil painting

I enjoy seeing the hummingbirds buzzing around in my garden. They love the deep pink azaleas in May. Even though I don't have hummingbird feeders out, they seem to find flowers they like all summer long. In this painting, I've painted a ruby throat enjoying the blossoms. The oils were wonderful for painting these rose pink azaleas.

• The original has been sold, but check for more of my bird art in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Purple Columbine Flowers & Hummingbird

With the lovely weather we've been having the last few days, I took my palette outdoors and sat down on some stone steps to paint the purple columbine flowers blooming in my garden. While quietly painting, I heard the buzzing of what sounded like a gigantic bee. And there it was, a ruby-throated hummingbird which visits these flowers daily while they are in bloom. As he flew from flower to flower, I added him to the painting. Perfect!

• The original has been sold, but check for more of my bird art in my Etsy shop, JanetZeh.Etsy.com. Thanks and have a beautiful day!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird & Hibiscus Flower

It already seems so long ago that the hummingbirds were visiting my garden every day. It's now bitter cold in New England. BRRR! You'd think it was January. The hummingbirds have all flown far south for the winter. So, what a delight it is to paint this little bird! It makes the day warm and sunny just to look at it. I hope you are in a warmer place, but if not, this little painting might just make you feel that you are...

• This painting has been sold.
  

Ruby Throated Hummingbird & Hibiscus

I love to see the hummingbirds visit my garden. Since I don't have time for all that a hummingbird feeder entails, what with keeping it cleaned and the food changed every few days, I try to grow flowers which will attract them. It works. At least one will zoom around the garden almost every day all summer long. Anytime there is more than one, though, they are chasing each other. Hummingbirds are very territorial, and no wonder. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to hover the way they do and a lot of territory to get the food they need.
Here this hummingbird is hovering and drinking nectar from a Rose of Sharon hibiscus flower.

• This painting has been sold.

Red Rhododendron & Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Here is another scene from my garden. I had planned to paint the rhododendron but had not thought of adding a hummingbird. However the other evening, as I looked out my kitchen window, I saw one buzzing around my red rhododendron which is absolutely so full of blooms that it amazes me.
My azaleas are blooming exceptionally well this year too. Normally, the rhodies and azaleas have significant winter kill which cuts down on their blooms. It takes a while for the plants to recover from a winter of subzero temps. This spring I noticed that none of them had any winter stress at all. And, now that I think of it, though the winter seemed long, snowy and cold, we never had the minus twenty night temperatures that normally occur in January and February. Perhaps it's global warming. Maybe there's a bright side to that - I won't have to move south to have beautiful rhodies and azaleas!

• This painting has been sold.

Pink Hibiscus & Hummingbird

Hibiscus, also known as Rose Mallows, bloom on 3-6ft. stems with flowers that are 6-8 inches across. This makes them ideal for large gardens.

It can be difficult to get a long bloom time for them this far north as they open late, and can get nipped by early frosts.

But when they do bloom, they are spectacular. Obviously, the hummingbirds like them too. I see them often buzzing about these pretty flowers.

I just had to paint a hummingbird today. I miss seeing those little birds zooming and dipping among the flowers and am looking forward to their return! It will be a while; there is more snow yet to come.

• This painting has been sold.