Shall We Dance?

These beautiful shots of Sandhill Cranes were taken by my sister Becky (who owns the copyright thereto). She lives in Colorado about two and a half hours away from the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge.

The birds appear to be dancing and the balletic
moves make for spectacular photo ops.

From the Crane Fest website

Late in February, sandhill cranes, the San Luis Valley’s oldest visitors, begin their annual trek from south to north, stopping off near the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge to load up on fuel. For millions of years, the sandhills have been spending their "Spring Break" in Colorado’s Valley of the Cranes and more recently, wildlife watchers have been drawn to wonder at this phenomenal natural spectacle.

No one really knows what the early residents of southern Colorado thought about this majestic migration of cranes, but they were paying attention to it. High on a rocky cliff face southwest of Monte Vista is a well-protected six foot long petroglyph that is unmistakably a sandhill crane. So, as much as 2,000 years ago, humans were celebrating the return of these magnificent birds to the Valley of the Cranes.

Thanks for sharing these, Sis!

Birds and Leaves

The last time we were in Santa Barbara and having lunch at our favourite tacqueria we heard nosies on the awing over our table. Looking up we were treated to this lovely sight. Silhouettes of birds and fallen leaves.



I was able to get my camera out and take a few shots before they flew on. Simply beautiful!

Bird Trio

Egg - 8x10"

I don't remember where I first came across the idea of using thick sided canvases as shadow boxes, but I have wanted to try it for awhile now. I've had these and most of their attendant parts sitting on the art table for a couple of months - letting them stew, marinate and get acquainted. And this weekend it all came together and here are the results.

Nest 8x10"

I papered the back of the canvas with a vintage chart showing egg sizes, then painted the sizes of the canvases in beige, and the wooden backs in red iron oxide. Strips of Tim Holtz'z Distress Crackle paint in vintage linen were added, and urged along with a heat gun for a great crackling effect.

Wing 12x12"

The nests, birds and eggs were affixed with wire and/or E-6000. Chipboard letters and birds and vintage cigarette cards were attached with heavy gel medium. Rustic metal letters were put on with upholstery tacks which were also used to hold swags of tea-dyed ribbon and cheese cloth and small bunches of feathers. Tumbled pieces of tile anchor a corner or two on each piece.



I stenciled the front (now the back) of the canvases with black, red and beige. These will be available at this year's Open Studios Tour coming up in mid October.

La Cage aux Oiseaux

Two bird cages: an ornate green one I've had for a couple of years - a great score at a hole in the wall antique/junk shop in Castroville , and the small wire and wood French Market one that was a birthday gift last month. This weekend they both had new tenants move in. A vintage ceramic bird that belonged to my aunt, arising from a broken ostrich egg now calls the one above home.


#94 is now host to a sassy crow (a Dollar Store Halloween find). The marvelous "nesting" material is wood shavings available in "a variety of designer colours" at World Market. Both are now happily residing in the great room.

On the Fence

My daughter Jenny took this stunning photo a few weeks ago when she was on vacation in Hawaii. I love the receding fence line and the wonderful weathering on the posts.

Tweet-Tweet!

We found these colourful, "Seussian" (I will not say whimsical, because I don't do whimsy) birdhouses at the Coast Galleries on our way home from Big Sur earlier this week.





Not only fantastic shapes and sizes, but adorned with paint brushes, facets, door knobs, silverware and "so much more!".


By artist Dave Bruce from Phoenix, and ranging in price from around $75.00 to $135.00. How cool would one - or three or four - look hanging in your yard?!

Return of the Swallows

St. Joseph's Day and the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano. A few scouts arrive early and there are always some stragglers, but more often than not flocks and flocks actually come back on March 19th.

As a child I found this fascinating and one year we got to go to and watch the birds wheeling and dipping and dancing in the sky above the old Mission. It's one of those memories that will never fade.

Dance of the Swallows

Birds of Spring, Redux

Debra's Nest

An old dilapidated, lidless cigar box was the inspiration for Debra's Nest. It was on a $1.00 table at the Cayucos Antique Street Faire and already had the dividers in it. My good friend Debra Jurey - jewelry artist extraordinaire - had a birthday coming up and loves birds, so... with the addition of eggs- wooden, real and plastic, feathers, dried rosebuds, leaves - iron and real, bones, cigarette cards, packing excelsior and a perky Easter chick it became a perfect homage to the little feathered friends she loves so well. A few well placed bits of ephemera on the sides of the box and it was all set for a happy birthday surprise. Well enjoyed by Debra and her cat Pinkie, as well, who almost dined on the feathers before caught in the act!

Birds of Spring, Too

Oiseau

An old drawer (E-Bay find) filled with small vignettes celebrating the birds of spring. Clockwise from lower left: ceramic hand with egg, more eggs, feathers and music box works/ background of nest & eggs, antique wooden type, brass stampings of flying birds/vintage price tag, cigarette card, ceramic egg and blue bird (thanks to Bonnie from Birds of a Feather)/ background of vintage window advertising, a feather pad from Michaels, egg shaped rock, small French chicken santon, glass teardrop ornament, cast iron bird, cigarette card/background of sheet music, upper half of steel clarinet, hummingbird nest, vintage stamps, wax, pewter bird ornament. The drawer was rubbed with gesso and finished off with green and yellow ribbon.

One of those pieces that sat in the studio for months and then suddenly pulled together in an afternoon.

Birds of Spring

Bird on a Wire

As the morning light comes earlier and the temperatures are a bit less chill, we start hearing bird song along with the AM wake-up alarm. We have crows, seagulls, pelicans, herons and mourning doves all year 'round, but with March we start hearing tiny songbirds and a glorious full-throated mocker who sings his heart out all day long.

The above is a piece called Bird on a Wire - a combination of deliciously rusted wire, a salt shaker, metal number and letter disks, copper mesh (hit with the heat gun for beautiful colors), a rusted leaf, feather from the seaside, eggs, and paper bird ephemera. The substrata is a fantastically weathered board I found in a huge scrap heap behind an even huge-er (can I say that?) Antique/Junk Store near Rosamond, CA. I dug it out from the bottom of a pile and when I asked how much they wanted for it, the woman said, "That old board? Honey, if you think you can use that, you just go ahead and take it for free." HA! Didn't she realize it was primo art material?! I really like this piece and the story of obtaining the board is one of the reasons why.

Great Blue Heron and friend by the harbour in Morro Bay