Heron Taking Off Oil

The heron has been fishing in the reeds, and is now taking off ready to find another place to look for fish. It shows the full length of its body and wings with a view of the beautiful coloured feathers on the wings. You can see that its spindly legs are well camouflaged amongst the reeds.
For this painting I used a brush for the background water and a palette-knife for the bird and the reeds, which makes them stand out and helps give a 3D effect.
I have continued the painting around the edges of the canvas so it can be hung on the wall without framing, or could be placed into a frame if wished.