Elegant Curves

I have always loved to paint swans. I love their elegant form and the streamlined curves of their neck and body. Their soft, white feathers catch so much ambient light and color. I learned long ago that you cannot ever paint them just white. Color dances all over their form; the warms of sunlight, the cool blues of the sky, and the earthy warms of ambient light from the ground. I spent an evening watching and photographing some swans in central Minnesota and was able to capture this fleeting moment.