This little painting is called "The Bird Woman", its birds on a beach. The birds are placed in such a position that they form a profile of a woman, with the water as her hair, it's kind of an illusion. It's oil on canvas, it's 10 x 14 and I finished it in 1983. That's the same year I finished "Reach". And just in case you can't find the face, I'll show you, the top bird is the eyebrow, the eye, the bottom of the nose, the lips and the bottom of the chin.

Sketches, Sketches and More Sketches

Vernon tells us, sometimes he doesn't just quickly draw up an idea and set it aside. He indeed goes through and creates a detailed sketch of an entire idea and sometimes the final painting itself, only to come back and revisit it many years later, sometimes decades later, with new quick sketches of the main subject(s) and finally goes on to paint the artwork. Taking a look at the dates of the sketches for this art piece, we'll notice Vernon first had the idea for the painting way back in 1969. Then, he revisited it in 1974 with a few conceptual iterations to the main subject, the figure, before he finally started and indeed completed the painting in 1974.

Another in-depth look into the mind and mastery of art that was Vernon Eugene Finney, World War 2 Veteran of the US Navy. Who, at 99 years of age in 2023, was doing what the artwork was depicting: Dreaming past old toys and past sources of excitement, seeking out new avenues of enlightment and wanderlust. Master Vern passed away on January 25, 2024 in Palm Springs, California after having lived, in his own words, 'a full life'.

Related Photos and Media

Either Vernon, or one of his many friends, was holding "7 Years Old" when this photograph was taken of the painting. Thank goodness Vernon had the wherewithal to think ahead by photographically cataloging some of his artwork over the years.