Getting Airborne

20" x 24" Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas
Trumpeter swans are our largest, native waterfowl, with long, graceful necks, short legs, webbed feet, broad bills, and typically all white plumage, making them icons of grace and beauty as they sail across the water. They move about in casual, relaxed way, typically perceived as carefree and peaceful. "Getting Airborne", an original painting by Martin Howard, depicts a trumpeter swan beginning its ascent. "I just loved painting "Getting Airborne"; seeing this majestic bird use his 8 foot wingspan flap to get lift and motion along his 100 foot runway, while the dusk light reflects and sparkles off of wet plumage, intrigued my imagination. Despite its size this once-endangered species is as elegant as any swan. Trumpeter swans produce a number of trumpet like sing outs to alert, to indicate, or to call. With different calls, different actions such as head bobbing are used to communicate. It's fun to imagine the messages in their calls.