Pelican shake down

These incredible birds are really gawky yet graceful.

I love it when the bay has a school of fish and the pelicans have discovered it and started their fantastic dive bombing. It is indeed a sight watching them come up out of the water, and immediately turn and splash back down into the bay. 

It's a wonder they don't break their necks with the acrobatics they perform. 

It is even more amazing they don't drown because their beaks hold 3 gallons of water! That's 24 pounds of water that has to be squeezed out before they can eat the fish they dove after. They also turn to the left which keeps the water from rushing into their lungs. This dive is also precipitated by a deep breath of air which fills the air sacs in their bodies, which makes them pop back up after diving.

This guy is on a rather long narrow canvas and makes a wonderful painting in the shadowbox.

Today was another crazy busy day. We have our grand visiting and Chris had to watch him for several hours today. This was because I took new pieces to the gallery and changed out my space. After that, I went with my friend Linda to teach a class in Mobile that was rained out a couple of weeks ago. The class did not start until 1, but we did not get home until 4pm because of clean up and driving time. I also got a message on my phone from someone wanting a piece that was at the gallery. When I called he told me that he had purchased another painting from Big Fish Gallery for his wife, but wanted the other piece for his parents. Merry Christmas! 

Yoyo got no less than 6 hours of grand time alone! 

Fortunately, he's not a lot of trouble and they both survived the ordeal. When I got home though, they had cooked up a movie date this evening to see the new spiderman movie. 

The movie was interesting to say the least! 

I also sent a photo to a client, asking him about the commission piece I am working on for his wife's Christmas present. Problem given, problem solved. I think everyone will have a nice Christmas!

All in all, a very good day!

Pelican shake down, Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 36 shadowbox

Day 15 of the 100 days~100 paintings Spring 2019