Thursday, May 22, 2008

“Every year, back comes Spring, with nasty little birds yapping their fool heads off and the ground all mucked up with plants.” (-Dorothy Parker)




I’m not sure when I first became enamoured of the birds. But anyone who knows me now knows that I love them, and especially the bluebirds. They possess a certain elegance, and conduct themselves gracefully compared to many of the birds we see. Right now, we have a pair nesting in our bluebird house and we’ve seen a good bit of familial activity going on there.

It’s hard to capture the vibrant blue of their feathers in a painting. They are real stunners, and I keep attempting to communicate their beauty, but somehow their essence eludes me.
Some of the perky little ones are adorable. Sketching them is fun, because they’ll tilt their heads or plant their feet in a jaunty fashion that’s very endearing. I happen to love them, and the plants mucking up our yard.

“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.”
(-Jack Handy)

10 comments:

ParisBreakfasts said...

Wonderful post as ever
And wonderful watercolors full of that special something birds have..je ne sait quoi?
You capture their character so well.
Who doesn't love birds? We grow up watching them..when we are small they are our size..
I'll always the bits of robins egg shell I would find on the sidewalk and treasuring it...

A Brush with Color said...

Thanks, Carol--I don't think I remember being particularly interested in the birds when I was younger. It's only as I'm getting older I seem to take delight in them! I'm endlessly fascinated by them now, though!

Cris in Oregon said...

Wonderful post. My first pet we got when I was about 4 years old was a small Parrot. They called Coco . We had him thru my teens. so I guess I have always loved birds. I had alot of green poop and holes in my clothes. lol
I still love them.
Today I saw that bird on the nest. It IS a rofous sided towhee. the female is much plainer. I saw the male this morning. I got its picture too. will post it soon.

A Brush with Color said...

Cris, I'll have to watch for your bird! I've never seen one before, so I'll be interested in that! Cool! As for Coco, that's cool, too! ;))

steviewren said...

Is that a real nest with 8 eggs? Wow! Are they bluebird eggs?

Beegirl said...

Love the way you capture their softness! Makes me want to scoop them up! The nest and eggs are beautiful!

A Brush with Color said...

Steviewren--yes they are--they were from last year when we cleaned out the house, though! Not this year. We think they are hatching as we speak this year! Aren't they beautiful? Their nest is so neat and tidy.

Thanks, Leigh!

wagonized said...

These are two gorgeous bluebird sketches!
Reminds me of the Paul McCartney song (or is it Wings?).

A Brush with Color said...

Thanks so much France--you have such a talent, so I'm flattered you'd say such nice things.

Lavinia Ladyslipper said...

My word...I popped over here to have a look and I can't seem to leave! Each post is a treasure.....now being a birdbath lady myself, I love this post....the birds are sweet...never nasty....your illustrations here are so darling.....I love this little tweety bird!