Canadian Geese

What makes a good leader?

When I started working on my master's degree in the mid 1990s, the first (and favorite) class I took was called Educational Leadership.  As the name suggests, we learned about leadership styles.  Our teacher gave a homework assignment that has stuck with me all these years.  We had to answer this question.  "Do you want to be an elephant or a goose?"  At first it seemed like a silly trick question.  

I wasn't sure how to begin to answer that, but something kind of serendipitous happened that week.  My class at school read a story called Amy's Goose.  Although it's a fiction story, I was reminded enough about geese to begin to know how to answer the question.  Geese share the leadership role.  There's a reason they migrate all those miles in the shape of a V.  The goose at the head has to work the hardest.  After a time, he rotates to the back, and another flies up to take the lead for a while.  They work together.
After a little reading, I learned that when a poacher goes after elephants, he tries to kill the matriarch first.  Without her leadership all the other elephants panic and become easy targets.

I've never forgotten that analogy.  Although I may sometimes be bossy and controlling, I strive to be more like the goose and not only share the load, but surround myself with those willing to do their part when it's their turn.

This particular pair of geese, as well as their many friends, live beside the river that runs beside the fabulous restaurant called The Old Mill in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.  They seem to be neither bothered by nor interested in the tourists that walk all around them every day.  

Visit an Etsy treasury (collection of art pieces) celebrating the these lovely birds.  Click on Wings Over Canada.  Then enjoy another collection that uses the most beautiful browns called Looking for Autumn.  Random Favorites that Speak of Fall is another great fall collection.

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 12" Wrapped Canvas
[SOLD]

Trumpeter Swans

What's the difference between a swan and a goose?


I proud to say I'm a farm girl, but I'm embarrassed to say I'm not sure I know.  
Can geese swim?  Maybe that's the difference....
Or, maybe it's their attitudes and behaviors.   
The goose is a symbol for silliness. (Don't be a silly goose.)
The swan is a symbol for elegance. (The ballerina was a graceful as a swan.)
My experience with these silly / lovely birds is limited to children's literature. 
Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and Goose Girl by Sharon Hale are both wonderful!


This pair of trumpeter swans nests in a little Northwest Arkansas pond .  The real ones have wide green "necklaces" or bands that allow them to be tracked.  On the way back from a hike near the Buffalo River, we pulled over to take a few pictures.  They seemed to enjoy performing for me.  They'd paddle over, look at me, then wiggle their feet to make the water muddy.  Then they'd dip their heads in.  That made their heads and necks all brown and muddy! 
Luckily, I have my handy artistic license that's ready for use in these situations.  I was able to remove their numbered green bands and wash them up a bit for their debut on the canvas.  I think they'd have wanted that.


Enjoy an Etsy treasury (collection of related art pieces or vintage items) that celebrates these lovely birds by clicking Serenade with Swans or Elegant Swans for the Holidays.  Another treasury celebrates water in with a tranquil, yet funky collection.  Click Spirit of Water to have a look.


To purchase this painting, click "Trumpeter Swans."

Honk!

What is this little guy thinking?

What are these geese thinking?

Is it a confrontation or a game?

Are they interested or annoyed?

I like to think that they're just getting to know each other. Maybe the geese are teaching the little guy a few goose words. I want to believe that they even understand each other for those few magical minutes.

I love the process of painting.

First comes choosing the subject. For me it has to be an image that stands alone to tell a story. That's followed by deciding on the best canvas size, drawing in a few key shapes, and blocking in some color. Like most kids, paintings have to go through an ugly stage. Maybe this is when they (both the kids and the paintings) need the most love! I do love that ugly stage. I've learned to trust that eventually blobs of color will take shape and empty spots on the canvas will become forms. The frustrating part comes when it seems right, but there's just something not right. For a second opinion, I hold it up to a mirror... oh, the shadows are missing or going the wrong way! Or, I look at a photograph of it on a computer screen... oh, there are no highlights! Or, I show it to my painting mentor... oh, yeah, the edges are too harsh! Finally it just needs to be left alone and not looked at. I think that's when the painting fairies sneak in and... voila...

The funny thing for me is that once a painting is finished and I've given the satisfied sigh... I'm over it and ready to move on. I'm ready to sell it or give to some who wants to enjoy it. I want to have an excellent product, but it's the process that I crave more of.

"Honk!" has been a little different, however. I still love looking at it and imagining what was going through the little minds of that little boy and that gaggle of geese!

Original Oil Painting on 12"x 16" Canvas
[SOLD]