“A male pheasant has bright, colorful feathers,” said Stephen Lyman, “which create a beautiful accent against the more subtle, neutral colors of winter.” Originally from China, the ringneck or Oregon pheasant was introduced to North America and Europe in the late 1890s as a game bird. It thrives in small groves with underbrush and in pockets of grass among trees and shrubs. It’s related to the partridge and to the even more colorful peacock.

This classic Stephen Lyman composition also contrasts the low lying subject with the soaring elevation in the backdrop of hills and trees, focusing the eye first on the bird and then up through the painting.