A unique and delightful work by Larraz that recalls the best of what Jamie and Andrew Wyeth sometimes did in their work as well. Taking an everyday and familiar scene but immortalizing it in a way that speaks to days past and moments we seek to have and see. Executed in 1977, Guinea Hen reflects a period when Julio Larraz was consolidating his early reputation for precise observation and luminous, almost photographic watercolor effects. At this time, Larraz was in his early thirties, living between Miami and New York, increasingly attentive to the interplay of light and space in his compositions. His travels along the Caribbean and eastern U.S. coastlines deeply influenced his palette, lending a Mediterranean clarity and warmth to his work even when painted far from the sea. In 1977, he was also exploring the delicate tension between realism and abstraction in small-scale works, seeking to render everyday subjects with an almost poetic quietness.

In Guinea Hen, the bird is depicted in close-up, perched on the ledge of an opening resembling a window, as if suspended between interior and exterior. Its head is barely defined, dissolving into sunlight, creating a sense of immediacy and ephemeral presence. The watercolor technique is delicate, with fluid and smooth brushstrokes, and subtle layering that allows the pale blues of the sky and sea to merge softly with the ochres and beiges of the wall and the bird. The underlying graphite provides subtle structure without interfering with the gentle luminosity of the watercolor, and in some areas faint traces of erased lines reveal the artist’s careful adjustments and dialogue with the paper.

The composition is quietly balanced, the window serving as a frame that both confines and opens the space. The scene suggests a calm afternoon, suffused with heat and light, as if the air itself were palpable. The choice to focus so intimately on the bird, omitting any extraneous detail, transforms a simple subject into a meditation on stillness, observation, and light. Even the slight undulations of the paper, typical of watercolor, add a subtle tactile quality, enhancing the physical presence of the medium.

The dedication to “Bill and Adele” adds a personal dimension, suggesting that the painting was a gift, a moment of private connection rather than a commercial or exhibition-oriented production. The signature, modest and well-integrated, does not interrupt the composition but gently participates in the overall harmony.

Guinea Hen embodies Larraz’s sensitivity to quiet, everyday moments and his mastery of watercolor as a medium capable of capturing both light and atmosphere. The work is at once direct and nuanced, intimate yet luminous, a testament to the artist’s ability in 1977 to translate observation, memory, and technical skill into a serene and luminous image that invites reflection and contemplation.