R Christopher Vest – Birds
A collection of artwork from R Christopher Vest.
Imagekind Gallery birds
Copyright (C) 2008
a collection of fine art digital bird paintings
early spring chill / mountain bluebird
it's a long and sometimes stormy flight back home. a migrating mountain bluebird rests on a post along a remote valley. to retain body heat he fluffs his feathers into a puffy ball. but the clarion summer sun will soon bask him in warmth again.
just passing through / avocets
in southwest colorado, we can only enjoy this graceful bird for a few weeks in the spring as they stop over on their trek to points northward. here a group of five avocets plies the shallow water of a lakeside.
eyes of the forest / GH owl
i'm used to looking up at owls, and seeing them obscured deeply in branches or nearly invisible against similarly colored background; therefore i enjoyed depicting one at eye level and with unobstructed clarity to let the glowing eyes shine out.
sunset on the desert / gambel's quail
a male gambel's quail emerges from the safety and obscurity of the underbrush to risk a full view of the valley.
rio grande valley / sandhill cranes
sandhill cranes take flight somewhere south of the bosque del apache...
willow reflections / tree swallows
a pair of tree swallows dart over a willow-draped pond
oxbow sunset--white pelicans
years ago i was paddling in the oxbow section of the snake river in Grand Teton National Park. i was drawn to a sandbar where at least a dozen pelicans were reclining. the gentle wind blew my boat very gradually straight toward them. the opportunity afforded me some great shots-- too bad they were all spoiled when water got into the film. still, using one of the better of the damaged images, i painted in the details and light as i remember them.
cover of Bird Watchers Digest April 2010
i had to sign 300 of these prints for the magazine so if you want one of those (14 x 9.6"), just email me. i built this image from photos i took in saguaro national park.
the lean times/ barn and northern harrier
a thick blanket of snow covers the western landscape. a juvenile marsh hawk brushes close to an old barn as part of her circuit-- nothing is astir. she flies on.
hawaiian refuge / palila
the endangered palila survives on the slopes of mauna kea on the big island of hawaii.
deep woods / scrubjay
fall in the forest, filtered light, and a perfect perch.
snow flurry / western screech owl
a western screech owl catches the last dim light of dusk just before a snow squall rolls in.
a proud old swainson's hawk
a fairly old guy that lives in the rehabilitation center in santa fe new mexico. the billows of feathers, especially around his throat, makes him a splendid model.
bluebird / cold rain
a western bluebird settles into the leeward side of a aspen tree as an early evening fog turns to light rain.
fenceline scrubjay
a beautiful old fence line, filigreed with odd twists of wire becomes the focal point of this painterly depiction of a jay against a bleary sunset.
moonlight at the mission
the magnificent old mission at laguna new mexico is shown by moonlight through the bare branches of ancient cottonwood trees. in a very tranquil moment, i imagined a roadrunner taking a brief pause atop the outer adobe wall.
wooden world of the nuthatch
a busy little nuthatch probes a labyrinth of driftwood along a colorado lakeside.
spring crabapple broadtail hummer
a colorado crabapple tree in late bloom is visited by a male hummingbird.
siskins at the gate
a pair of seed searching siskins perches on an old farm gate
foggy forest downy woodpecker
a clever little downy woodpecker contemplates a "menu
spread across a shaggy trunk of juniper. a light snow begins to fall as evening approaches.
mountain stream dipper
photographed near telluride colorado in autumn, the water was shimmering with bright rocks and leaves, and the busy dipper was good enough to pause and "smile" for me.
trumpeter swan smile
a study of a trumpeter swan
snow junco
an oregon junco perches on a frozen wine of virginia creeper as the snow swirls around.
painted raven
a bristly mature raven chortles above his mountain domain.
orange colorado river/ heron
looking down on the colorado river near moab, utah, we see a heron taking flight in the amber glow of canyon sunset.
heron flight in fog
a slightly impressionistic look at a heron gently descending on a foggy marsh.
foggy fencepost redtail hawk
before the snowfall a dense fog blew in-- along with a handsome redtail hawk.
yellowed headed blackbird
a yellow headed blackbird in a light fog surveys a pond edge among dense bullrushes.
harris hawk and arizona scape
a harris hawk suddenly catches the movement of potential prey.
young says phoebe
fully fledged, a young says phoebe waits patiently for his parents to both feed him and show him the "ropes".
kabob / loggerhead shrike
i've seen many shrikes but i've never observed their famous penchant for skewering prey-- so this piece is a slightly macabre indulgence of my imagination.
bluebird in autumn spruce
a male western bluebird in the last flush of autumn's color.
lady cardinal on barn hinge
with the old barn door gone, the rusty hinge makes a perfect perch for a female cardinal.
bluebird late summer
a bluebird finds a fine perch on an old dilapidated fence row among the blooming rabbitbrush.
ferruge good face flat
bald eagle with grand vista
a eagle surveys a meadow between the mountains and the desert.
