Flamboyance, 24×24 oil on canvas, gallery wrapped (unframed)

Here’s my attempt to un-kitsch the lowly Flamingo. They are awesome birds and deserve better than to be ridiculed as lawn art. American Flamingos are more numerous in Mexico and Cuba, and Hurricane Idalia likely “captured” single flamingos and small flocks from these regions, blowing them to Florida on strong storm winds, in 2023. A flock of Flamingos are called a Flamboyance, hence the title. I don’t normally paint on overcast days but between the storms at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom, our eccentric birds looked so adorable as they marched in lock step with each other. With ambient light from the overcast skies, I got more into the local values and colors. Still, the soft light from the sky creates a bit of form for me to exploit. I absolutely had to paint them. Now they can brighten other peoples’ day for years to come, in the collection of one of my loyal clients.