Puffin on Edge
Artist: Elizabeth Schwab
Oil Paint
May 2021
New York, New York
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A puffin, a small black-and-white Atlantic bird, just lands on top of a coarse rock alongside shrubbery on a gray seaside day. Wings outstretched in a deep v-shape, the puffin turns his head towards the bushes and away from the waters where he catches fish. The bright yellow, orange, and red beak matches the bright orange blotches on the rock below, which appears perfectly natural when painted next to the rock’s brown and green tones. The dark green hedges have some of the brown rock popping out from the greenery, and all these earth tones contrast with the pale blue, gray, and white cloudy sky, as well as the harsh black shadow of the puffin that emphasizes his centrality to the composition. The red feet of the puffin appear almost neon against the brown rock ledge and draw the viewer’s eye to the subject of the painting, modeled with thick oil paint as in those creations of modern masters. The asymmetry of the painting with the subject matter more heavily placed on the left side reminds of open sea off the cold shores of these puffins’ habitat. Where are the other puffins? Why is the sky so empty? A beautifully simple painting of a puffin descending the heavens and touching the earth rouses all those questions, and the detailed layering of paints promotes a mood of contemplative calmness.
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Elizabeth Schwab is a sophomore at Boston College, part of the Class of 2025. She is a current Arts Council Intern majoring in Communications and International Studies.
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“I based this oil painting on a picture I took in Iceland. I traveled there over the summer in high school to learn about climate change, and I was able to capture a mirror image of this puffin on a rock near a cliff area. I found the puffin while on a hike there and decided to paint it afterwards in an art class last year. By doing so, I discovered one of my favorite mediums is oil paint and continued to explore the topic of climate change-based art as a means to create social awareness on the beauty of nature.”
Learn more about puffins and the effects of climate change on these seabirds.
Article by: Sindey Amar