Galapagos II (Blue Footed Booby Seabird) Painting

At the end of last year I became immediately mesmerized by a certain type of sea bird—the blue footed booby—after seeing a video of their mating dance. At first it was simply their unique turquoise feet that drew me in. But after a little Googling, I discovered all sorts of interesting facts about them. Including that scientists have recently discovered that the key to a successful long-term partnership among these birds is the equitable sharing of nest duties year after year: "Bi-parental care is the rule…but longtime mates have perfected the art of symmetry and turn-taking. They spend the same time brooding and feeding the young, and expend the same physical effort as seen in measures of blood cells and body mass."— New York Times That particular fact led to the idea of a diptych—aka., two paintings that relate to one another. So although this painting is a stand alone work, it can also be presented as a diptych with its companion piece. The background reflects the rocky shore of the Galápagos islands but in a more abstract way, so that I could focus most of the detail on the birds themselves. Initially I wanted to really highlight their deep blue, almost turquoise, feet. But the focus organically shifted to the blue light cast against their white underbellies, and all the beautiful variations of lavenders and aquas. Thank you for viewing my work. Aimée