Living near the coast, I’ve long admired pelicans for their resilience and trust. Watching them navigate brisk, windy days with unwavering focus reveals a raw determination.

A Pelican’s Trust Within the Roaring Blue is a new 12 by 12-inch oil painting that captures a moment of focused strength and quiet determination. At its center, a pelican is caught in mid-flight, wings fully spread, every feather defined through a combination of deliberate and expressive brushstrokes. The bird’s body features soft blends of white and brown with subtle hints of blue, drawing attention to the texture and presence of its plumage. Most striking is the pelican’s bold orange beak, a vivid contrast against the cooler background tones that pull the eye instantly to this emblem of vitality.

Surrounding the pelican, the space is alive with swirling layers of blue, as if the sky and water have merged into one dynamic force. Flecks of orange and gold reflect the shifting light, suggesting both the sun’s warmth and the shimmering surface of the sea beneath. This interplay creates a sense of energy and movement—waves that seem to ripple and pulse around the bird, embodying the power of the ocean and the unpredictability of wind and tide.

Living near the coast, I’ve long admired pelicans for their resilience and trust. Watching them navigate brisk, windy days with unwavering focus reveals a raw determination. They dive headfirst without hesitation, fueled by an instinctive drive to provide for their young. Their actions, a natural expression of unconditional love and nurturance, inspired the heart of this piece. Through this painting, I aimed to reflect how these birds embody trust in life’s flow—balancing strength and surrender as they move through ever-changing conditions.

Technically, the process was a thoughtful layering journey. I built the painting up with glazes of oil and opaque strokes in succession, each adding depth and nuance. To convey the ocean’s rhythm and force, I introduced cold wax in the final layers, creating subtle textural contrasts that react with light and surface. This technique was key in translating the ocean’s energy—the same powerful current that the pelican meets head-on in its flight.

A Pelican’s Trust Within the Roaring Blue is more than a depiction of a coastal scene. It’s a visual reflection on endurance, care, and the quiet strength found in trust. I hope this work invites you to witness that moment of balance between grace and grit, motion and stillness, and find in it a reminder of the strength available when we lean into the natural rhythms around us.