My submission for the collaborative art book, Losing Altitude.

While its global population is stable, it has become an endangered species within the coastal regions of the southeastern United States.The stork is a gorgeous bird, just not a very pretty one. While I had originally intended to do a technical ink portrait of the bird, I changed my focus entirely when I began recognizing the broad shift in reflected color on the stork’s glossy black wings. I decided to emphasize the color shift in this painting, highlighting the bird’s beauty. This painting stretched my skills with brush and paint, my patience, and my knowledge of lighting and anatomy.