Birds of a Feather | Full Process & Commentary (Mixed Media Art)

This post accompanies the full process video for Birds of a Feather.

For the first time, I recorded commentary alongside the work, talking through the decisions, doubts, and turning points as the piece developed. Rather than a tutorial, this is documentation. A record of how the drawing moved from uncertainty toward form, and how staying with it long enough allowed meaning to surface.

The piece begins with an eyes-closed drawing. I draw without looking, rotate the paper, and then start responding to what appears. As the work progressed, audience feedback confirmed some of what I was already seeing, while intuition pushed other elements forward. The birds, the figure, and the structure of light all emerged through that tension between external response and internal direction.

There were several moments where the piece felt at risk. Late additions, palette decisions, density, and restraint all came into question. Some of those moments are visible in the video. Others are spoken aloud. In the end, the process itself became part of the work.

I chose to leave the commentary unscored. No music. Just the voice, the marks, and the pacing of the piece as it unfolded.

Artwork details
Birds of a Feather
Ross W.
Mixed media on paper
10.8X15.3 cm
2026.01.22

Prints will be available via Redbubble. The original piece is available on a make-me-an-offer basis.

If you’ve been following this work as it developed, thank you for staying with it.

You can also watch the full process and commentary on YouTube here:
https://youtu.be/peIxCSie9rs