PELICAN PATROL

48" x 24" Oil on Canvas

This painting grew out of my fascination with the pelicans along the Hilton Head shore. They soared low over the waves, then lifted and plunged headfirst into the water with a force that felt wild and precise. They were nothing like the white, easygoing lake pelicans I know from Colorado. The difference reminded me of black bears and grizzlies...related, but carrying entirely different energy. What I wanted to capture was not just the bird itself, but the experience of being there: the speed, the crash and rhythm of the waves, the flap of wings, and the way the pelicans and their environment became a single subject.