Summertime Blues: Bird Painting by kto ART

Summertime Blues: 'Akepa Pair with Hibiscus 8"x8"

In Maui for the show, I brought a half-finished "I'll Bring You A Rainbow" and finished it two hours early. Fortunately I came prepared with a second small blank canvas just in case. I didn't have an idea of what I would paint and ended up looking at the wall of my current paintings and choosing a bird and flower that weren't currently on display.

The 'Akepa is a beautiful honeycreeper found mostly on Hawaii. They are one of the smallest native birds still in existence, but what they lack in size, the 'Akepa male makes up for in color. Male 'Akepas start developing on their vibrant plumage at a young age and within a few years, they boast brilliant, tangerine feathers. The ladies cannot resist such an obvious flair for stylish attire. These two 'Akepa are sharing the sunshine on a hot summer day. I had Pandora playing Elvis songs and "Summertime Blues" popped up just as I was washing in the royal blue background. In my version, the "blues" refer to the clear blue sky. And there definitely "ain't no cure for the(se) Summertime Blues!"