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Celebrating Three peacocks…

A few weeks ago on the Repton Facebook page (that I still follow even though I live in Kent now, as I was brought up in Repton and I have very fond memories of the place) there was a few photos of the white peacock that had been wandering around the village and admired as he went. I loved one of the photos that showed him perched on a wall resting, and knew immediately that I wanted to paint him.

I also wanted to add two other blue peacocks to the painting as a balance of colour and to add to the interest of the painting. Three peacocks showing the wonder of their splendid colour, and in varying poses….

I looked online for other images of blue peacocks and found two in particular that I liked, especially as the other two photos were celebrating different aspects of peacocks, on looking back at the viewer with his head twisted but the vibrant colours of his tail in focus, the other just lifting up his beautiful tail in a very appealing diagonal shape, rather than in full vertical mode…

I drew out a simple line drawing on a piece of paper with the layout of the three birds, the white one on a horizontal wall, the other two more in the foreground of the painting, with the one on the right having his head against the white of the peacock on the wall..which showed it off better…I was happy that the simple shape worked well as the basic image, then drew them out on the canvas, and painting the base colours on the canvas to seal it..being acrylics it dried quickly…..I spent two days last week working on it, and was happy up to a point but I Knew it needed more work on it to put the magic into the painting…

And yesterday I got the chance to finish it, and put the magic in!

I really love the painting – I love the balance of the three birds, the horizontals, verticals and diagonals in the interaction of the birds within the painting. I love the way the blue heads of the blue peacocks are against the lighter background. And the white head of the white peacock is against the dark foliage of the tree behind. I love the way the delicate pinks and yellows of the foliage on the right hand top corner is mirrored in the tail of the blue peacock in the left hand bottom corner. I love the dark blues and greens of the foliage behind the wall being of the same blues and greens of the blue peacocks. And I love the delicate white of the hint of stone on the wall…I really love that delicate stonework….

The painting is in acrylics on canvas (measuring 19.5 x 15.5 inches) and is called of course..”Pride of peacocks”…!

I love this painting…I really do… It works well in a subtle way…