[Art] The Sun Sentinel - Turkey Vulture.

[moonvoice]

I had a commission request
under one of the 'mini totems' slots.
I've recently started offering mini totem slots,
and they're small, and fun,
and also you know, vultures are AWESOME.


The Sun Sentinel - Turkey Vulture

Comments

[silverjackal]

Oh my, this is *magnificent*! :) Hail, Mother of Mothers, Creatrix, She who was been, from before the Beginning, Creatrix of this World! (This is a salutation for Nekhbet, She is also seen in the mountain that watches over the Valley of the Kings.*)

Edited to add: that officially this is incorrect. I was going by a conversation I had with an tomb guard there, but when I looked it up just now the goddess of the peak is Meretseger, She Who Loves the Silence, a cobra goddess. Nekhbet presided over the whole of Upper Egypt, and is the vulture on the crown. :)

[moonvoice]

Ee, thank you. I'm also quite sure that Turkey Vulture is appreciative of all salutations, given that too many people dismiss them as gross or stinky birds.

[silverjackal]

Vultures tend to be quite clever for raptors. (As magnificent as hawks and falcons and eagles are, they're not particularly bright. Vultures (at least in my limited experience) tend to be both smarter and have more character.) It's not just that they perform a vital ecological function, they're actually really fascinating. :)

[moonvoice]

Yeah, I remember reading actually that a lot of raptors are such great hunting machines that they really don't need much capacity for thought or adaptation. They're good at what they do, so why develop the sort of brain capacity of many omnivores? But then it makes sense that vultures would have a great deal more intelligence and character, since the way they locate food is different, and based more on exploration and 'narrowing down' onto a scent or sight. I would love to meet them.

[silverjackal]

It might actually be that such a large part of their brains are dedicated to flight/speed/sight/hunt that they literally don't have space for the type of cognition one sees in more generalized animals. Vultures also tend to be more social than other raptors, which also tends to increase "additional functions" in terms of behaviour. I've actually handled a juvenile Rüppell's briefly, and he was both comical and friendly (i.e. deliberately being a bit of a brat from a combination of playfulness/curiosity, and as a way of getting attention). The other vultures I've seen at close range have also always struck me as tremendous personalities. You can see them thinking about things and (while I may be wrong because I don't really have close experience of other raptors past owls) it seems more complex than what you see in other raptors.

[paleo]

I'm also quite sure that Turkey Vulture is appreciative of all salutations

That's why I wave to every turkey vulture I see while driving. :-)

[outlineofash]

I love how you rendered the feathers. And those colors - so vivid!

[moonvoice]

Thank you! This was really bright, I actually think the scan failed to capture the really strong yellows of the sunset, but that's okay.

[white_rabbit]

Ohhh YES! Turkey Vulture is magnificent here. :) I am strangely fond of them. We get a good deal of Turkey Vultures around here.

[moonvoice]

We don't have the vulture family at all in Australia, so it's always awesome and curious to work with them.

[darakat]

That expression on the its face, priceless. "Yeah what".

[moonvoice]

Heh, turkey vulture is having none of anyone's bullshit!

[eldriwolf]

OH My! this is wonderful!
Thank you!
I love Vultures--I am lucky enough to live where they are pretty common-- have spent hours 'watching T.V.' -- even in the city, they often pass overhead.

[moonvoice]

I'd love to see a vulture one day, we don't have them here. :D

[paleo]

I love this oh so much! Vultures are gorgeous *especially* in flight.

I love watching one soar and waiting to see how long it is until the next wing beat. I usually end up waiting...and waiting...and waiting...

[freyakitten]

... that reminds me: if I were to request a mini of a deceased pet as totem, would such a thing be doable, and would the above-linked etsy slots be the correct way to request such a thing? (I'm not saying I will do so in the short term, as I need to Do Stuff first (like scan photos for reference use), but when I eventually get off my arse...)

(said deceased pet is a fox terrier, who we had put down in 2000, when she was 13 and about to go into another winter of chronic illness; I mention this in case it makes a difference in this specific case)

[moonvoice]

I haven't done a mini of a deceased pet before, but I think it could work? I'd probably want to complete the sketch before accepting payment though, just in case there's difficulties working an individual energy into such a small space.

That being said, the price would be $67 USD + $3 USD registered postage. I'd say - not having connected with or seen photos of your fox terrier, that it would be possible, since I tend to click in with dogs faster than cats and that might benefit with working at the mini size. :) When you're ready - and no rush of course - feel free to email me at ophelias.diary@gmail.com If you lose this comment, I'm pretty sure my email address is second post down on my 'commissions' sticky post. :)

[smw]

This is *fantastic*; I'd put it on my wall in a heartbeat. Besides the fact that turkey vultures are my favorite native birds, there's something about the details of this piece that really draw me.

[moonvoice]

Eee, thank you! And it's awesome that you have turkey vultures as a native bird, they strike me as being very powerful and awesome.

[sonne_windsoul]

I love turkey vultures, and you captured them so well in this piece, especially with the color scheme in the background and the sun =3. And also yay for the floofy feathers on its neck and back :D.

[moonvoice]

Yay floofy neck feathers! I love floofy feathers.

[faolchu_rua]

This piece made me grin from ear to ear; both for the expression -- "What are YOU lookin' at, huh?" -- and because I just saw five of these guys on Saturday, doing their slow, deliberate circles over something tasty in a field just off the highway.

[moonvoice]

So many people here have commented saying that they've seen them or experienced them in person, and that is just *awesome.*

[the_vulture]

Oooo! Loves it!

[moonvoice]

Yay! Love your icon / username too. :)