One of the few paintings I did of animals during my college years, "Poulet Irese" (or 'Iridescent Chickens') has always been a favorite. It's painted on a heavy watercolor paper with a beautiful rough edge at the top and bottom that would look amazing in a floater frame.
 
I played with a rainbow of colors in this painting, looking past the dingy colors of the photo I'd taken of the chickens, and letting the colors play in the light. I still work with the exact same palette of paints to this day. This painting was still early, but was a definite step forward in finding my personal style and aesthetic.

Painted on 300 lb paper with deckled top and bottom edges, 15x21" unframed, this painting ships flat.