Rat and Rooster
2009 - 11"x12" (each panel) Acrylic, graphite, charcoal, on wood.
Finished with three coats of Krylon Kamar Varnish #1312
(Private Collection - New York)

Date, May 25, 2009

The sun has just risen, and rooster announces to the world, that it's time to get up. The rats have been up all night roaming the city and are sleepy. They go to the 7th Avenue subway station where it's dark and no noisy rooster.

The rats are similar to a previous painting called "Year of the Rat", wearing masks of their predator, the cat. I had never drawn a rooster before, so I did something I never do and made a quick sketch. I have developed a recent fascination with birds since I started going bird watching with my wife in Prospect Park. The male birds often have bright colors and distinct patterns. There are no roosters in the park, but I used a little inspiration from the cardinals, which are one of my favorite birds.

I used a lot of razor blade scratching and sand paper for the distressed appearance. This technique works on all types of wood, but pine is a soft wood and produces the best results. You can see this in the photos below.

Here are larger, detailed photos of each painting: