Chris Osborne Art 
Three finches
The Story Behind the Painting
Well these three finches were certainly spread over Australia and photographed over a span of 4years of traveling and camping holidays. The Red-Browed Finch was photographed while I was at O’Reilly’s at Green Mountain in the Lemington National Park. And from memory you could buy a packet of seed to feed the parrots. The little finches would eat the seeds that the parrots would leave, so everyone got fed.
I love the sound finches make its almost like a little harmonica a high pitch ZZzzzzz.. sound.
Double_Barred Finch I found a bunch of theses guys while I was camping at the Queensland Heritage Park in Biloela just as the sun was going down.
I’d just set up my tent and photographed some kangaroos which became The Mobs Watching painting I completed a few weeks ago.
I could hear the unmistakable sound of finches, so I wandered off to investigate, they were on the other side of the campground fence. They were darting in and out of the bushes with amazing speed then eating fallen grass seeds off the floor and hopping back in to the bushes as I approached. After a few minutes they realised I was no danger and continued pecking at the grass seeds.
Zebra Finch is the last of the three finches and this one was photographed while holidaying with my family at Uluru in the red centre of Australia. We were halfway walking around the Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and I could hear the finches. There must have been around 20+ having a bath in a small waterhole then drying themselves in a nearby tree. Thats the reason my zebra finch looks so puffy compared to the other finches, If I had mastered the water droplets I would have added some of these too.
My Painting Process
Red-Browed Finch These small paintings are always a challenge getting all the fine detail correct.
This finch was actually feeding off the ground but would not have matched the other finches so I drew him on a twig. This is where my creative licence comes in to change things up a little.
I started painting the twig, then moved onto the eye, beak, tail and then the rest of the body.
The pencil out line is drawn as a start point, and I’m already wonder how many of the little thorny twigs to include in the final painting.
This if my favourite of the three finches as I think it has more character and I had fun painting the thorny twigs.
As with the other paintings I started off with the twigs, then move onto the eyes, beak, feet and tail feathers.
This one seemed to take a little longer with all the brown and white spots on the wings and back.
Very light greys were added to the underbelly as to create some shadows but still leaving it white.
A little more work on the feet and some final shadows on the twigs.
A close up of my zebra finch painting to show you the small scale. Note my other bird and animal paintings are a little larger than the triptych.
Finished finches ready for framing at Art Plus in Bundaberg.
I’m rather impressed with the finished artworks, framed up in this beautiful frame.
Maybe the 3 finches and 3 wrens will become a nice pair hung side by side in someone’s home.
1 Red-Browed Finch
2 Double-Barred Finch
3 Zebra Finch
Gouache Colour Palette
I use Winsor & Newton Gouache on Arches France Watercolour Paper, 300g Cold Pressed.
My painting come from my own experiences that I have lived and photographed while traveling. By reading this blog, you as a viewer can now hear The Story Behind the Painting. Where, when, what was happening while I was photographing the wildlife.
If you want more details about my adventures checkout my travel blog website www.ChrisOsborneAdventures.wordpress.com
Enjoy, Chris Osborne
Chris Osborne Art 