Flamingo (A)

2 Panels - 91.6cm WIDE x 60.7cm HIGH
Each panel - 456mm wide (912mm) 91.6cm combined

These paintings depict foraging American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber). The American flamingo breeds in the Galápagos, coastal Colombia, Venezuela and many of the nearby islands. It was also once found in southern Florida, but sightings have become rare since much of the suitable habitat has been lost.

Flamingos are large elegant wading birds with reddish-pink plumage. Adult American flamingos are smaller on average than Greater Flamingos but are the largest flamingos in the Americas. They measure from 120 to 145 cm tall. Most of the plumage is pink, giving rise to its earlier name of rosy flamingo. The wing coverts are red, and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink and white with an extensive black tip. The legs are entirely pink. They make a honking call similar to the sound a goose makes. Like other flamingo species, American flamingos will migrate short distances to ensure that they get enough food.

These paintings capture the characteristic shape of flamingos and their iconic luminous colour. I prepare the wood panel with repeated applications of gesso and sanding to create a smooth surface to work on. Two coats of satin acrylic varnish are applied to the finished piece to protect the painting and to give the final surface a satin texture.

Painting details:
This is my original artwork. The title, the year it was painted and my signature are all on the back of each panel.

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Lydie Paton is a South Australian artist. Born in Adelaide, she initially completed a double degree in Architecture and Landscape architecture at the University of Adelaide. Her background in landscape design and an interest in environmental science underpin her selection of subject matter. She works in a variety of mediums including printmaking. Her paintings and etchings often have botanical or ornithological themes. Within these common themes the representation can be quite varied – sometimes more representational while at other times more abstract.

‘I find the creative process informs the direction a particular work takes and often something discovered during an abstract exploration goes on to inform some detail in a more representational piece.’
Lydie has been painting her whole life, but in 2013, she began formal studies in fine arts at the Adelaide College of the Arts. The exposure in this course, to diverse mediums, led to an interest in varied art making techniques and an enthusiasm for experimentation with materials. In 2015, Lydie spent two years in Toronto, Canada, studying printmaking and etching under the tutelage of Brian Hoxha. Since then, she has been producing aluminium plate etchings.

Lydie says of her practice; “I create compulsively. I have three young children and so finding time to paint is tricky, but I squeeze it in, because I can’t help myself. I have always loved oil paints, frustrating and messy as they can be, they have a particular quality and I’m drawn to the texture, the evidence of brush marks and the rich colour they bring to an artwork.”
Lydie has been painting and printmaking professionally since 2012 and has been a Bluethumb artist for over 10 years. Her artworks are hung all over the world, including the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia.