Denis Gonchar's digitally-painted works capture the essence of birds in flight. The Ukrainian-based artist's series Flying Birds depicts eagles, owls, and hawks that are set against geometric solid-colored backgrounds. This makes the dynamically-posed animals look as though they're being commemorated for their great power and poise.
Gonchar's richly-colored style is simultaneously realistic and abstract. He uses angled brushes to achieve the look of movement and to highlight sharp features. With just a few quick strokes, he's able to convey a mass of feathers. Pairing this chiseled style with diffused edges and details gives us the feeling that these birds are really flapping their wings up and down in one graceful, fluid gesture.
