Double Dare

"Double Dare"
  11" x 8"  Watercolor on Paper

One of the entertainments of early spring is watching male cardinals duke it out.  So when I was asked if I'd be willing to do a cardinal commission in watercolor, it was that territorial dance that first entered my mind as I studied their activity in my yard.

I sat up my camera aimed out my kitchen window and put it in movie mode so that when the cardinals appeared at the bird feeder, I could film their gestures and expressions.  It is from these video clips that I compiled this little painting set in my woods where Spring has not yet produced a single leaf bud.