"Heron among the Ibus"
16" x 20"
Plein Air, Oil on Canvas
copyright by Artist,  Brenda Hofreiter

This is a scene I captured along the banks of Lake Eola in downtown Orlando.  It was late afternoon and the birds were beginning to roost.  This cypress tree  roots and tangle of fallen limbs provided a convenient spot for the Ibus to gather and preen.  The majestic white Heron seems to be standing guard and towers over the smaller curved billed Ibus.  I was captured by the colorful reflections in the windswept water, the glittering white of the Ibus and the late light hitting the  tree.

It is a lesson in spotting good paintings by just narrowing your focus.

* This painting was awarded 2009 PaintAmerica Second 100,
by the Paint America Association Board of Directors