THE HATCHING
OF "PEAFOWL OF THE WORLD"
By
Doni Kendig
I'm
a wildlife artist. Some years ago, Danny Potente, a
peafowl and exotic bird enthusiast, art wholesaler extraordinaire
and UPA member, found my web site: www.donikendig.com
and purchased several limited edition prints and our
dialogue began.
Danny
has many peafowl, including silver pied, purple, some
whites, black shouldered pied, red buff spalding and
black shouldered silver pied and a cameo silver pied,
plus other exotic birds. The peafowl, pheasants and
other exotic birds run free in his father's construction
yard near his home in Hicksville, NY. He considers Lewis
Eckard his mentor, who has been a great inspiration
for his interest in peafowl.
Over
the course of time, our conversations (he lives in New
York and I live in California) developed into a friendship.
Somewhere along the line, Danny asked if I would consider
painting peafowl. At great length, he described their
beauty, their unique qualities and his total fascination.
Danny's
dream was to produce an educational poster "Peafowl
of the World". He felt very few people knew anything
about them, especially that there are 40+ varieties
bred all over the USA. Rare visits to a zoo or aviary
with an India blue or white were most peoples only exposure
to peafowl, other than the NBC Peacock. For ten years,
he had been trying to pique someone's interest in his
project.
I
was fascinated with the idea, but already had many commitments.
I paint a minimum of 8 hours a day, usually more. My
gallery required that a minimum of 5 originals be in
the gallery at all times. From November, 1999 through
May, 2000, they sold 6 originals and arranged 2 commissions
with an average size of 36" x 48", mostly cats-two white
tigers, three Bengal tigers, and two leopards.
In
August, 2000, we bought a house and started the "house
trauma period"-new floors, paint, woodwork, walls. The
contractor arrived, tore up the carpet, wrapped everything
in plastic and didn't show up the next day, or the next.
On the third day, he called and promised to start the
next week he had an emergency out of town. (We were
still wrapped in plastic). Suddenly, I had no studio,
no place to work! The contractor had lots of excuses
and promises, promises, promises. In early December,
they finally started installing the flooring. My studio
was to be first. The installer got half way through
and found they had misfigured and were short. While
we waited for additional flooring, I had the electrician
install the lighting now I had lights and half a floor.
I was hopelessly behind in my painting commitments.
I finished the second commission working in the half
with a floor and was forced to suspend the gallery relationship
until I had a studio to work in.
Before,
during and after the house trauma period, my conversations
with Danny continued, he urging me to paint peafowl.
Suddenly, I had the time.
First
on my new agenda: research. I hit the internet for peafowl,
peacocks, etc and visited all the sites, reading all
the info and studying the photos there weren't very
many. I also visited sites for India and all areas where
the peafowl are indigenous for authentic environmental
background.
Then,
I went to Barnes & Noble for books and publications.
The most recent book published about peafowl was in
1982. I ordered all six items they had; however, two
were about diseases and/or feeding, two were for children
and very skinny and two were about several varieties
of birds with at most two pages on peafowl. To my disappointment,
the photos were black and white and grainy or elementary
drawings, almost cartoons.
Danny
sent me his copies of the UPA Journal and all the publications
he had with photos, and photographs of his birds. I
arranged for a professional photographer, Geoff Graham
of Canoga Park, CA, to go to the Palos Verdes peninsula
and the Rolling Hills Reserve where India blues live
in the wild on the California coast and to Josie Myrman,
a local breeder in Chino, CA, to photograph the birds
in as many attitudes and angles as possible. Unfortunately,
the temperatures were in the 90's and 100's so they
weren't interested in being too active.
My
email pleas to members of the UPA produced several photographs
of various species, all greatly appreciated. Lewis Eckard,
president, approved my acquisition of the UPA'S collection
of shots from their files.
Sketches,
sketches and more sketches, plus telephone conferences
with Danny-what I feel, what he wants to include, etc.
Months later, after hundreds of hours with three-hair
brushes and detail, detail, detail, the painting was
taking shape. I had it photographed and samples printed.
We
planned a trip to Virginia and West Virginia from September
4-16. On the 16th, my husband was to fly home to California
and I would fly to New York to meet with Danny. My daughter,
Diane, who works with me in marketing and all the details
of maintaining a business, was to bring the samples
and the painting and join us. And we all know what happened
on September 11th!! We were fortunate just to get on
a flight home to California on the 17th. The airports
in New York were still closed.
New
plan we will all go to Kansas City for the convention
in October-half way for each contingent. Plane tickets,
hotel reservations, a rental car were all reserved and
waiting.
I
had a heck of a time finding warm clothes in Southern
California. I grew up in Nebraska and knew I'd need
heavier things than were in my closet. After I shopped,
borrowed and scavenged heavy sweaters, socks and a leather
jacket |I started packing. Danny called the day before
we were scheduled to leave at 6:00am on the 23rd. His
uncle was terminally ill and not expected to live through
the day. Our plans to meet were cancelled again. What
a disappointment!
So
we were back to collaborating by telephone and email.
The painting was uncrated, back on the easel. We had
planned to display it at the convention and were pencilled
into the Saturday morning program. We planned to ask
for suggestions and critique from the experts-attendees
at the convention, the perfect feedback from those who
really know the birds. Foiled again.
Undaunted,
I started on the series of individual species paintings,
which will be issued as limited edition prints on canvas,
when completed. Obviously, the first must be the India
blue. Danny feels the most beautiful is the silver pied,
so this will be the second.
Printed
samples of the poster were sent to Danny and he had
a multitude of corrections: the various reflective metallic
and iridescent colors are fantastic in the original,
but the printing process is incapable of reproducing
them. The colors aren't as vibrant, some of the details
have been lost and the shapes flattened. To reverse
this effect of the printing process, I had to lighten
areas, redefine edges and rework the reflective feathers.
For the legend, numbers and bullets are proofed for
accuracy. Oops! 2 numbers are switched.
The
title of the poster is "PEAFOWL OF THE WORLD" with a
list, numbered and labeled to the left and bullets of
information listed to the right.
To
produce a poster, the painting must again be professionally
photographed, color corrected and put on CD for the
press. There are half a dozen printing processes available
these days, so we tried them all, chose the most color
effective and had samples printed. Then we sent them
to Danny and awaited the verdict.
With
Danny's enthusiastic approval, we printed the poster.
As an educational piece for children and adults, framed
in oak, cherry, mahogany, silver, gold or whitewash,
it will complement any decor. It is printed on quality
100 pound gloss stock.
The
finished poster, unframed, is 36" x 24" and retails
for $20.00 each. Frame it for $49.95 each or $69.95
ready to hang. The cost for shipping and handling for
one to three framed posters is $20.00.
1
PEAFOWL OF THE WORLD $20.00 each 3 PEAFOWL OF THE WORLD
$50.00
4-49
posters @ $15.00 each, 50-99 posters @ $12.50 each,
100 or more @ $10.00 each, plus shipping and handling.
Up to 10 posters, shipping & handling is $10.00. For
1- 3 framed posters, shipping & handling is $20.00.
For larger orders, please fax us for shipping & handling
amount.
To
order:
Artline
Wholesalers, Inc. (Danny Potente)
10 Howard Street
Hicksville, NY 11801
FAX (516) 931-5735
or
Doni
Kendig, Artist
46-200 Lou Circle
Indian Wells, CA 92210
FAX (760) 772-6155
If
faxing a credit card order, be sure to include the expiration
date.
CLICK
HERE TO SEE THE POSTER
