Sandhill Crane ~ "Parade" ~ "Oh, to Fly" ~ Watercolor Greeting Card Common redpolls are Arctic-breeding finches

Common redpolls are Arctic-breeding finches that wander south in unpredictable irruptions — some winters they flood the northern states in thousands

the way it sits utterly focused on the water before dropping like a stone after a fish

Wet-on-wet washes let the colors find their own intensity

until you notice the eyes

finely streaked breast

Sandhill Crane ~ "Parade" ~ "Oh, to Fly" ~ Watercolor Greeting Card Common redpolls are Arctic-breeding finchesThis sandhill crane painting captures a crane walking with unmistakable ceremony. "Parade" shows a sandhill crane mid stride legs stepping high, neck extended, body carried with the kind of deliberate elegance that makes cranes look like they're always going somewhere important. Sandhill cranes walk like they own the ground beneath them, and this painting catches that regal quality. I painted this freehand on archival cotton rag paper using Kissho