Broad Side

While I was painting this and in fact nearly finished it, a turkey buzzard wrestled his way out from under the tin roof of the garage; Apparently that is where he or she roosts. He took a few lumbering steps stood at the front edge and dove, right past me in a circular swoop, around and over the barn, coming to rest on top of it. He was quickly joined by two others. They made perfect silhouette and I drew them in easily. That made the open sky look a little to open so for balance I put in the soaring buzzard. These beautiful, storybook birds are a steady element in the prop closet of Chadds Ford. They would be well placed in any painting done at Kuerner's. Karl Kuerner III has them for pets at his home and days later we were feeding them from our hands while we had morning coffee on his porch.

The rising fog and early morning cool air is well represented here, giving the painting the feel that had originally drawn me to paint it.

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