Majesty

Majesty features a Pacific Brown Pelican in breeding plumage. The males are normally a dull gray brown with a white neck and yellow head but during mating season the sides and back of their neck turn a deep brown and their throat pouch turns a brilliant green and red. I was fortunate enough to have a joint show at the Anaheim Museo in 2015 with photographer Ralf Willruth, www.rwPhotoArtist.com. Our exhibits met along the joining wall between exhibits with his magnificent photo of this bird and my Scratchboard rendering of it. Due to the large size and intricate detail of the subject, this board took over 400 hours to finish!

Here are some fun facts about these majestic birds:
1. Oldest known Brown Pelican lived 43 years
2. Brown Pelicans make their spectacular dives into the water from as high as 65 feet
3. If the Brown Pelican looks a little prehistoric, it's because the basic features of all pelicans have changed very little in the last 30-40 million years
4. They were critically endangered in the 60s and 70s due to DDT poisoning but have rebounded since it's ban. Now there is estimated to be 650,000 Brown Pelicans in the U.S.
5. Though there are several names for a group of Pelicans, my favorite is a 'Squadron of Pelicans'

36" x 24"
Scratchboard and Ink
Original Artwork Available - see the Original Artwork Gallery for more details