Hopeful

Hopeful   watercolor/pencil   16 x 10.5

Each Spring we anticipate the arrival of bluebirds who fill our box with a nest and small blue eggs.  They face many hazards:  late Spring freezing, parasites and house wren assassins who pierce their tiny eggs.  It becomes a real-life drama in our own back yard.  Will they fledge?  We are always HOPEFUL.

Empty Nest

Empty Nest   Watercolor   10 x 10

is a term that usually refers to that stage of life when the children have gone their own ways and parents are left with a nest that that is quieter, less active and just different than it was in previous decades.  Yet, I would offer the notion that each nest, empty or full, is full of all kinds of possibility, all kinds of beauty.  Feathers, leaves and small bits of string remain.....even bits of dirt.  I guess it is up to each of us how we choose to feather our own nests...empty or full.

Nesting...

Hand Woven   watercolor/gouache   11.75 x 10

is a fairly common sight this time of year, especially if you are an observant nature-lover.  My husband knows where every feathered nest is in our yard.  We wait on the trimming until the first brood has flown.  We painted nests in class.  Almost every artist was able to bring in an abandoned nest.  There they were in all their glory...feathers, strings, fishing line, small bits of paper and even some Chinese money plants woven in.  They are an art form unto themselves.  The challenge was to create an entire composition around the nest....where the dark brownness of the nest did not overwhelm value-wise to create a "hole" in the picture.  We had some amazing results!  Each one different.  Each beguiling.  The results were as glorious as the nests themselves.