Scarlet Macaws
4' X6', Acrylic On Canvas
In the private collection of Bobby Mellati
During several of our trips to Costa Rica, my wife Kris and I have been blessed with beautiful close up encounters with Scarlet Macaws. At Bosque Del Cabo on the Osa Peninsula, while sitting outside our bungalow, we could hear the squawking of these incredibly beautiful birds in the trees outside our window. They would come in close to snatch fruits from the trees and explode in a furry of rainbow reds, blues and yellows when we got too close to them. We also learned that they are rapidly becoming endangered and that their nesting areas are threatened by poaching collectors desperate for money.
I wanted to dedicate a painting to this beautiful bird but also wanted to do some very different things with the image to make the viewer wonder what was going on. In school, we are taught that large images come forward and that small ones recede in space. I have done just the opposite to intentionally create a disturbance and to stimulate inquiry by the viewer. I have intentionally left out a complete image of the Macaw to make the viewer want to see more. The message here is that there may be no more Macaws if others do not get involved in their preservation.