Rough-legged Hawk- Buteo lagopus. 11x15" watercolor on paper.

I finally found some time and energy to sit down and paint again. I’ve been working way too much lately, and have lacked the energy and drive to put towards painting. Hopefully I don’t go through another lull like that again. I find so much happiness in painting, it needs to be a regular part of my life.

Even though the last painting was of the same bird, I felt I owed the Rough-legged Hawk another go, this time as a portrait. Often people ask me what raptor is my favorite. I hate this question, because I can never answer it. I feel inclined to say that the Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk is definitely the bird I find most intriguing, but then again, Buteo lagopus always creeps up in my mind. Perhaps I just like Buteos from the great north. Regardless, this will not be the last painting of this bird. The variability in Male and Female birds, and the juvenile, leaves a lot of visual ground to cover. Not to mention that just like the other Buteos, this bird has varying melanistic morphs, including a distinctive and impressive dark morph. The future is plentiful with opportunities to refine my skills and put more portraits of birds into the world. That fact pleases me.