How Color Draws the Eye in Two Bird Paintings

What do you notice first in a bird painting? Color often makes the introduction. In two oil paintings by Hanna Hryharenka, a bright red cardinal and a pair of black and white puffins stand out in different ways. Looking at the colors around them makes each choice easier to see.

Red among soft greens

The cardinal in Hopeful Cardinal Memory fills much of the square picture. Deep reds shape its head, wings and long tail. Around it, pale greens and touches of blue keep the branches and leaves gentle. The contrast makes the bird immediately clear without making the rest of the painting disappear. Up close, the oil paint sits in raised strokes across both feathers and foliage.

Textured oil painting of a red cardinal on a branch among pale green leaves.
Hopeful Cardinal Memory by Hanna Hryharenka.

Black and white beside the sea

In Coastal Wonder, two puffins bring a different contrast. Their dark backs and white fronts break against a blue sea and pale sky. Small orange marks on the beaks and feet add another point of attention. The flowered cliff is full of green, cream and pink touches, while broad blue strokes carry the view toward the horizon.

Textured oil painting of two puffins on a flowered cliff above blue sea and sky.
Coastal Wonder by Hanna Hryharenka.

Look from the brightest mark outward

Try looking at each painting once for its strongest color, then again for the quieter colors beside it. The cardinal's red feels more vivid against pale leaves. The puffins' black and white shapes become clearer against the blues of the coast. Hanna's thick paint gives these contrasts a visible surface as well as a place in the composition.

Discover other painted animal subjects in Hanna's Animals & Wildlife collection.

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