Baby Birdies!

We always have a huge variety of birds in our yard and have at least 10 bluebird houses scattered around the yard and orchards.

This year what I think is a house finch built a nest in the lilac bush right outside our bedroom window.  It's been fun to see the nesting process from the first bits of grass to the adroit weaving in of a piece of dryer softener sheet that came from who knows where!

Now the babies have arrived and are a little over a week old.  I had to take the photo from inside the house so the quality isn't all that great but you can see the three babies inside the nest (or maybe you can't!  They're all in weird positions!)  I like babies of all kinds and really like that our farm is home to so many different varieties, but really, aren't baby birds the ugliest things you've ever seen?  This photo was taken right after Mom had finished feeding them so they're kind of snuggled down for a nap.  Most of the time, however, they're all stretched up with their heads lolled back and beaks wide open!  I wonder if they think a bug will just drop into their open beaks or if it ever actually happens!  I need to look up how long before they'll leave the nest but I'm not entirely sure they're actually house finch babies.  The mom stays away a lot and when she is around, she's mostly hidden by those leaves so it's hard to see any definitive markings on her.  I'm sure it won't be long before these babies are off on their first flights though and maybe I can get a photo of that for you!

In the meantime, almost directly across from the lilac bush is a bluebird house.  I got the following photo while I was photographing the the baby finches.

It's so fun to capture these critters - I wanted to say "Smile, you're on Candid Camera!"

North Carolina Wildlife Artist Society

I received word yesterday that I have been juried into the North Carolina Wildlife Artist Society and I'm very excited about it.

Many of you know I was once a pet portrait artist and also know how much I like painting animals.  You also know that we live in a very rural area where we see wildlife of some kind every day.  You may not know that I'm not much of a joiner - most of the time I prefer to be painting instead of just talking about it!  To be honest, I checked out some local chapters of various art media societies and felt totally out of place not to mention that I don't like being confined to just one art medium.

But when I discovered NCWAS, it just felt like a match made in heaven.  Artists lead a somewhat solitary life anyway and rural artists are really isolated!  Normally that doesn't bother me a bit but recently I've felt that being around other artists and participating in art events would help me to stretch as an artist.

NCWAS is perfect for me as it's not media-specific, I can use any medium I want. I think they only have one meeting per year which leaves time for actually painting!  The subject requirements aren't overly strict and are what I'd be painting anyway.   They offer participation in various shows or exhibitions but I don't think the participation is mandatory which is a real plus for someone who paints as slowly as I do!

Is there any wonder I submitted an application for joining?

So, in light of this new membership, stay tuned for more wildlife and wildflower paintings!  You can check out NCWAS by clicking on the links for their website and Facebook page listed at the top right.

Genesis Oil Painting

This is another painting with the Genesis Oils as the medium.  The photo above looks a little purple on this computer.  The painting is actually more pinkish which makes it look softer.

As I've said before, I like using the Genesis paints but they're very different from traditional oils.  For one thing, since they don't EVER dry without heat setting them, it's hard to judge how long to leave them in the oven.

I ended up getting one of those heat guns designed for removing wall paper and it works well as you can see what you're doing.  However, it's very tiring to hold the gun long enough to dry the oil.  A large painting would be very difficult.

Another Acrylic Painting

"Alliums" Acrylic on Canvas Hardboard

 

 

You might be justified in thinking that I really don't hate acrylic paint as much as I say I do but I'm just trying to finish up several paintings I started when first getting the paint and which I left to languish when I got too frustrated with them.  Some paintings have been put away for years!

In this case, I'd wanted to try the texture medium (which is an acrylic medium) and figured acrylic paint would be the most compatible with it.

While acrylic paint isn't my favorite medium to paint with, I have to say that I really like the texture medium and will probably use it under my gouache or oil paintings in future projects.  The medium gives a fun look to a painting but does have some little quirks when working with it.

First of all, it's really hard on your brushes.  I used an old round stencil brush to apply the medium and if I'd thought about it, I probably would have mixed my paint into the medium to save time and other brushes.  But, I kept adjusting colors in this painting so would have had to use regular paint brushes anyway.  I was doing some good thinking though as I used craft brushes from WalMart instead of my good, more expensive ones. 

Secondly, it's hard to get paint down into those valleys in the texture.  Again, mixing a colored texture to begin with would have gone a long way in helping with that.

And thirdly, you have to really plan ahead to use it as when it's dried and set up, it's there for the long term!  I had an area on another painting where it was used that I wanted to change and even intense sanding didn't remove it easily.  I really think you could call this stuff archival without any qualms at all!  It's sure not going anywhere at least!

Even though this is one of those paintings that felt like giving birth during the production of it, I think I like the results.  I hope you do too.

Duck, Duck ..........Duck!

I know, I know - I'm pretty sure the phrase is "Duck, Duck, Goose" but there wasn't a goose involved in this project, only the duck.

My husband was straightening up the workshop in the barn and found an old, faded duck whirly-gig with peeling paint that he didn't even know where it had come from.  He decided to cut a new duck and asked me to paint it.  We just put it on a garden post and are now waiting for a bit of wind to see if it works!

Not only are the propeller-like wings supposed to whirl but the duck itself is supposed to rotate on the metal rod.  So far we haven't seen much of either movement but he makes a handsome addition to the garden entrance, don't you think?!

Oil Painting In Progress

Jill's Boots - Alkyd Oils

This painting is the result of a request from my granddaughter.  She wanted this painting of her western boots entangled with those of her boyfriend and I do like it when my family asks me to paint something for them.  However, I'm struggling a bit with the composition and have to make some decisions as to how to make the boots look as if they're lying on the floor.

Sue, from PencilPix blog, and a friend with whom I paint, both suggested adding lines indicating the boards of the floor and I'll probably do that. 

In the meantime, I still have a long ways to go with glazing to adjust the colors and values and adding some little details.  I'm posting here so you all can crack the whip and make me finish!  I seem to run out of steam for projects before I finish them (probably because I'm such a slow painter to begin with!) but I definitely need to finish this soon.

Thank heavens the alkyd oil paint dries quickly so adding the various layers doesn't take nearly as long as when traditional oils are used.

Back to Painting

I'm sure you thought I had quit blogging altogether but the truth is, we've had some family issues that have occupied our lives and repeated trips to both Florida and Kansas have eaten into much of our time.

Unfortunately, my dear mother in law passed away and although my father is still active, he just had his 92nd birthday.  It's difficult to be so far from family so we do try to visit as much as we can while we still can.

I have been painting and continue to be inspired even though I haven't posted any art in some time.  And even though it's been some time since I've painted regularly in oils, I've done a couple of paintings in them.  And I still flit from one medium to another and have just finished a painting in pastel for a friend.  The colors aren't exact but are mostly ok.

And one of my favorite paintings in oil is the following painting of an owl.

I'm not hugely in love with owls as we have to watch out for hawks and owls when our little dog is outside but I do like this painting because it's much looser than I usually paint.  I also painted it on a floor tile that's about 9 x 12" with a sort of pebbly surface.  The surface really grabbed the paint yet allowed it to flow so I could fade out the feathers on the bottom.

I'll be back to show more of what I've painted in the past few months.