Works

“Big Blue”

By Marty Shubert
Oil on Canvas, 9″ x 12″

The Blue Heron is an iconic symbol of our beloved Chesapeake and one that I never get tired of viewing. This picture is my attempt to capture the detailed majesty of this incredibly large bird. It is partly in tribute to a favorite fixture out on our breakwater near my home. Almost nightly we are visited by a large adult heron that I’ve come to name Big Blue. While he does not tolerate a close approach by land, he has allowed me to get up very close to him in my boat when I’m returning from fishing, as if to acknowledge some understanding of our common goal.

This painting has been done in a technique similar to the old Flemish masters where a dead color under-painting is first done to capture the detail composition and shading. Then subsequent color layers are applied with successive transparent oil glazes. This technique is time-consuming in that the many layers must dry before a successive layer is applied. The result is my attempt at capturing better depth of field and realism.

This original painting is not available for sale.