Something quite unexpected happened this winter when I started participating in an online group that weekly paints a different 'colourful bird'. I have always known I like to paint what I encounter in my life, but I was surprised to find out how much I didn't like painting birds I was unfamiliar with. I didn't feel any attachment to these birds that were posted each week for us to paint and after the first couple of attempts, I gave up and went back to painting nuthatches, chickadees, crows, bluebirds and wrens, all birds I have studied and understand.
What birds are around your home this spring? Walking my dog this morning a Pileated Woodpecker surprised us by dropping big chunks of dead cotton tree bark and yesterday in the same area, a chestnut back chickadee landed very close to me. Wow, were it's chestnut feathers ever fluffy and the brown colour rich.
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| 'Mountain Bluebird in the Kootenays' watercolour by Eileen Gidman |
The mountain Blue Bird was painted from a photo given to me by a birder from Bonners Ferry, Idaho. As I am not a great photographer, I really appreciate when birders give me permission to use their photographs as reference material. Thank you Deb.
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| Little carved wooden birds 'Cardinal, Mountain Bluebird, and Chickadee' |
3 comments:
Love your 'local' bird, whether in a painting or carved, Eileen. Such a pleasure to see them returning in quantity for their summer in the valley.
I would totally agree with you. I think I could paint only what I'm familiar with here. We see the pile acted woodpeckers on our walks but get the smaller ones at our feeders. I guess the chickadees are my favourites. I love catching the nuthatch too. We get tons of goldfinches.
Your carved birds are sweet!
I agree with you Eileen. There is something special about having a wonderful memory attached to the subject matter you are painting. I am especially fond of your wren carving!
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