Barn Swallow Watercolor

If I had to pick one of my favorite birds to watch fly it would have to be the Barn Swallow. They fly swiftly and effortlessly. Often barley seeming to move at all, like an athlete at the zenith of his jump or kick. All of that kinetic energy channeled into a perfect moment of physical movement in which time seems to slow down before it cascades it into flurry of motion. I hope to capture some of that feeling in this painting.


The Swallow has just completed a dive and banked into a air current at the top of a hill along a long forgotten fence line. This rising batch of warm air will give him a tremendous burst of speed, sending him rocketing off into the distance.