Thanks for being patient, and please note today's finished painting, called, " Wild Blue Yonder " on a specially coated 9" x 12" x 3/4" stretched canvas of sandhill cranes landing in Crex Meadows at sunset last Wednesday evening. The birds are painted in miniature while the canvas size is bigger than a miniature panel of 5" x 7" which is considered the largest size for a miniature, never the less this is still a miniature painting format in scale. I will be painting more of these type paintings with small miniature bird scale and include more of our local landscape into the painting. The problem when painting a larger size on a 9" x 12" format, there is no room for the landscape. I f I was painting very large canvas then that would fit nicely landscape and birds but not a lot of folks interested in paying for the larger painting size and then the problem where do you hang such a large work of art.  I paint in this style more now to give everyone an opportunity to be first ones buying this new type of painting and so this painting is listed, right here on my FASO website, please by all means if the spirit moves you  is ok to purchase, and if you need to make special arrangements to spread the payment out so can work in your monthly budget no problem. I will not be repeating any of my original oil paintings, I do not do that each one stands on it's own merits, and if you purchase you will have the only one, and I sign each of my originals. Remember I have all copyrights to my original oil paintings, please do not make any reproduction, come and ask me first before doing so, thank you very much for understanding.

Have a great day, with hope,

best wishes,

Jimmie Springett wildlife painter

Called, " Wild Blue Yonder "

This time of year is absolutely awesome in Crex Meadows Wildlife Area, the North American sandhill cranes from the eastern flyway gather until about Thanksgiving, before starting their migration to TN, AL, and FL for the wintering months.

This is a sketch of a group of sandhill cranes, flying back into Crex Meadows, about 530PM just before sunset to roost for the night.  I loved this v-formation and the sky is very big on this 9" x 12" stretched canvas and tomorrow I'll paint the beautiful sandhills in a great sky filled with colorful clouds. This painting is called, " Wild Blue Yonder " note,  one of the leading birds is starting to head down with their pitch toward the marsh with dry land. This V-Formation makes a perfect vanishing point as they move in the marsh direction and I kept them higher on the canvas showing the grandeur of their return to their roost, as the view is from below looking upward.

If you enjoy tomorrow check my post and come along for the view. And what you see on my FASO website  is available for sale and can be shipped directly to your home or business.

Have a great evening and best wishes.

Jimmie Springett wildlife painter

Called, " Wild Blue Yonder "

Artists have been painting on paper surfaces with oil pigments for a long time making very beautiful art. Normally most associate paper support with watercolors, but this past year I have painted a number of paintings using Arches cold press, hot press and now Fabrino Paper. Laminating the paper to a solid support, Masonite Hard board, can then easily be mounted in your frame of choice, plus with the paper being laminated to a perfectly smooth surface, the paper keeps a smooth and flat dimension when painting. I am now using the Lukas Berlin water base oil pigment and using a paper laminated to Masonite opens new opportunities. The water used is absorbed by the cotton fibers and some color goes with and the remaining pigment stays on the surface. I feel this helps with additional layers an improved luminosity and overall brilliant color reflected and seen by the eye. I am going to be painting more works using this new technique and new water base pigment and I'll share my results as I learn.

The Lukas Berlin water base oil pigments, in my experience so far, is working better than my old oil pigment and medium and the cleanup is a breath of fresh air, not a big mess.

This is an original 5" x 7" buffalo miniature painting using the 640g/m2 Fabrino on Masonite hard Board and my new water base Lukas Berlin oil pigments.

Have a good day and keep painting.

Jimmie Springett wildlife painter

Called, " Strength Of Character "

This is a thrilling painting for me because when I saw this redwing blackbird fly and land on the bald eagle's right wing and stand as the eagle set his wing and glided , I knew this would make a very special original oil painting. Phantom Lake is a haven for bald eagles and on this day I had just received my camera equipment back from Nikon's camera repair and this was the very gift of the afternoon, at Crex Meadows.

This is my 2ND oil painting using the water base oil pigments made by Lukas Berlin. This is an excellent painting experience and I use the Linseed modified oil and Medium #3, for drying.  I love painting on Masonite hard board and I'll keep refining my technique as I continue to paint using my new water base oil pigments, but my start is very good and being able to paint without solvents is a God send to my health.

Called, " Hitching A Ride "

With hope and peace, Jimmie Springett wildlife painter

Back to painting more today and finishing this whooping crane painting, called " He So Loves" a tribute to Gary Masemore, wildlife master photographer and this painting will be gifted to his family in the near future.

After painting for two days I have found this Luka Berlin to be a great water base oil pigment, I have no reactions and I am so happy about that, and I am learning how the medium #3 and Linseed oil work together and how this improves drying and the flow of the oil pigment when painting.

Here is the finished painting, an original oil painting on a 9" x 12" x 1/8" Masonite hard board that has been coated with my special coating prior to painting.

I am going to paint more today, a bald eagle painting and so stay posted on my step by step work. If you have questions please send me your queries and I'll answer with the day. Thank you for visiting and have a great day. With peace and hope,

Jimmie Springett wildlife painter

Called, " He So Loves "

Most of you who read my weekly blogs know that the chemistries is oil pigments, the solvents in the mediums and thinner bother me quite a bit and for the past 40 days I have been painting with my watercolors using my Maimeri Blu watercolor pigments and I have been enjoying painting miniatures with sizes from 4" x 6" and smaller so I have been painting and keeping busy.

I have also, been researching new developments in oil pigments and decided to work with a fairly well established European Company, Lukas Berlin. I've started out buying the 37ml tubes to learn and to develop and if this is going to work for me I can later buy the 200 ml tubes and save some money.

In today's blog this is going to be a painting for a friend's family, he recently was killed unexpectedly  in a car crash last Sunday on his way home from watching this year's whooping cranes train for their flight to St Marks, FL this month, they leave very soon. For the past year I have been painting very steadily the whooping cranes and sandhill cranes, so this work I am sharing with you today is about my friend Gary, his family and how as a community we are helping in small ways to help ease the sorrow and pain. This painting is titled, " " He So Loves " and is depicting the October Fall Harvest Moon at sunrise here in Wisconsin, home of the Eastern Flyway of whooping cranes. If you get a chance to help Operation Migration.org check out the love video cam and watch history unfold before your eyes. They leave soon and will travel as weather provides to St Marks, FL, then following next spring will be able to migrate safely back home to Wisconsin in the spring.

Here is Step #1, the pencil sketch to show you the layout and Step # 2 the early morning sky background, a deeper cerulean blue layer. Today I'll finish the sky, making a lighter value and then paint a layer on the moon and all the whooping cranes. The most forward bird is larger, meaning he is closer to the viewer and the other whooping cranes are smaller, showing some distance and giving depth to the overall composition. It is important in this Step #1 to finish this sky first and get all the edges around the moon and bird perfect and then when finishing those areas the edges will be very clean with no brush marks.

Stay tuned and keep watching later today, I'll post more of my progress to Gary's Tribute, to his family and I hope you enjoy. I love how this pigment is working so far with water and I have a lot more to learn, the good news is that I had no reactions what so ever, looking good. Take care, blessing to all of you today, and stay well, with peace and hope.

Jimmie Springett wildlife painter

Called, " He So Loves "