BIRDS OF ALL KINDS

Wild turkeys at Connequot State Park on Long Island were the models for 'Gobblers'. Coheleach enjoys working large, and like so many of his big paintings, this three-by six-foot oil appears quite detailed in reduced form, yet the original is somewhat loose and painterly. "Three horizontal lines - trees in the background, birds in the center, and autumn grass in the foreground - serve as basic design elements. For the composition to work, the turkeys had to be in a line, which is why you see the one on the left cut off, leading the procession across the painting. I love painting turkeys. In fact, someday I would like to do one in real detail, Audubonesque, just the turkey against a white background with every shade on every little feather."