Sometime around May of 2014 a young female goose waddled onto our farm and made herself at home. For the next four months, “Gertie,” as she came to be known, was a fixture at the barn. Arriving vehicles were greeted with raucous honking, driveways were pooped on, and stock tanks were in ever-present danger if her personal pool was not kept fresh. Alas, as autumn closed in, the difficulties of keeping a lone goose with no real pond to swim in became overwhelming. Gertie was transferred to a neighbor’s farm with a large pond and many other geese and ducks to keep her company.

To commemorate her stay with us, I painted a portrait of her. As a subject of painting, birds present some fascinating opportunities and challenges. Feathers. A lot of them. It was fun to study the way the feathers folded into her wings and spanned her breast, as was working with her subtle, pebble-toned coloring.

If you like this painting and would like one of your own animal, I am available for hire! Watercolor Animals Portraits are available for purchase at etsy.com!