Cardinal

Today I played around with capturing the majesty of the cardinal.  The scarlet of this bird, which doesn't dull in the winter, always captured my attention when I lived in Georgia.  The black on the face, giving it just enough contrast from the blast of crimson makes for a stunning specimen.  I could watch them jump through the brush from limb to limb all day.

This envelope goes out the the third fellow on the list of friends, as explained in my previous posts.  There are few people that I know that are as gentle and warm and inviting as Mike H.  I don't think I remember ever hearing him be judgmental of others, yet he is very liberal with his praise of those with which he encounters.  Despite reaching various areas of success in his life, he seems ever to be self-abasing and humble, and has served as another great example of what it means to "walk peaceably" with others.  At a time in my life when I was rather self-critical and didn't have much faith in my own ability, or in the brightness of my future path, his kindness contributed to my ability to see things in a different light, and to begin to trust in ones' ability to change and to grow into something different.

I chose a cardinal for him because of the color red and the deeper meanings behind that color for me. This spectacular bird is a silent witness of the reality of the gift that the color red reminds me of.

This was done entirely with gouache and an acrylic background.