American Kestrel Final Stage

The dilemma I faced with a reference for a cactus plant for this painting was surprisingly easy to solve. I remembered, actually my wife remembered, Ripley Castle which is only a few miles from where I live, has a walled garden with hot houses which feature, surprise surprise, cactus plants.

A quick scoot down there with the  camera and I had all the raw material I needed for my American Kestrel painting. The cactus was surprisingly great fun to paint with it’s waxy texture and spikes. So below you can see the final result, one which I am pleased with. A beautiful little falcon perched on a cactus plant. Enjoy!