Moe the Chicken

Oil on linen on panel, 6 x 6 inches -- SOLD

This is a portrait of Moe, the Buff Orpington hen. I mainly wanted to study the facial details and the colors of plumage. I didn't have Moe here, but I used our hen just like Moe as a model while painting this. After rendering the details based on the reference photo I took from several angles, I modified her expression a little bit in the way I like. Chickens don't have facial expressions like humans do, but they do show different expressions from time to time. It's very helpful to have multiple reference photos of the subject animal, because I usually find at least one picture with a perfect moment. I'm so fascinated that I can alter the facial expressions dramatically just by manipulating the pigment on canvas. Especially the eyes. This is a great advantage of oils. I can turn the angry bird to loving chick. I love painting a happy chicken. I also softened the edges outside of the face.