Itxaso Eckel

Cave Art Project Reflection and Analysis

For this art project, I decided to draw the many egrets that I see around Oahu. I

wanted to draw another type of bird, but in the summer they migrate to Alaska, and they

haven’t migrated back for winter yet so I wasn’t able to observe them. While I did not

have charcoal, I used natural materials I could find in nature. I crushed up leaves and

mixed them with moisturizer and water to try and make the color green. I used

dandelions and other yellow flowers, crushed them as well, and added water to them to

create another natural “paint”. While the colors weren’t as pigmented as I’d hoped, they

looked vaguely like water colors so I was not unfamiliar with the medium. I just

drew/painted a simple egret standing, looking regal out into the distance. I think that

they look very peaceful so I kept the colors light. There are green splotches surrounding

the bird that were supposed to mirror grass and the bright landscape that the egret

surrounds itself with. The splotches and faded colors of the grass were intentional,

though, because the birds are very skittish and usually don’t stay in the same place for

very long. They often fly away, so I blurred the greens in an attempt to mirror how the

grass would look to a flying egret.