Crax rubra / Cracidae
Graphite on Paper
Paper Size: 11" x 14"
Mat Size: 16" x 20"
Jane's Notes: The Great Curassow has all the characteristics that make a bird thrilling to render: big body, beautiful textures, and wild morphology. This bird also marks the rare occasion when the female is more striking than the male, but because of complexity of patterns and colors on the neighboring Sunbittern, I felt that the jet-black male curassow would make for a more visually pleasing compositional pairing. His crown feathers remind me of the curls of a 1950s greaser. I was restrained in rendering the knob on his nose, which can grow to outlandish proportions. As a big bird on a densely packed continent, I composed him in a foreshortened angle, rounding out the edge of the continent and drawing the eye back toward the center.
Each study comes with a certificate of authenticity. Please allow six weeks for custom matting and delivery. All sales final.
