Quamichan Lake Blackbirds

12" x 9" original watercolour on 140# Arches cold-pressed paper

When I lived on the west coast of Vancouver Island I never saw red-winged blackbirds. Then, when I saw them for the first time in Victoria, I was captivated by their flashes of red and yellow wings against sleek blue-black bodies. Now living in the Cowichan Valley, I routinely see them in the reeds along Quamichan Lake. I'm sure I've taken some artistic license putting two colourful males together, instead of the dowdier female, but I couldn't resist their beauty!