special gift

My blog friend, Flower, knows how much I envy her her woods and moss; something they have a lot of in Oregon and we have none of in West Texas. So she sent me a box full of it! As I opened it, the sweet, moist smell of earth and forest filled the room and I was transported. I've made a terrarium, something I used to do as a long time ago, and I hope it will last in this moist, humid environment. The white violets and johnny-jump-ups were blooming when it first arrived. They are thriving, so maybe they will bloom again. I doesn't matter, though. The joy of having this little world on my table, lifting the lid for a whiff of one of my favorite smells is plenty good enough for me. Thank you, Flower, and thank you God, for the beauty of your earth down to the tiniest detail, even the ground beneath our feet.

new piano keys

I thought it would be nice to try some other subjects on piano keys besides butterflies. These three are a result of that idea. I will definitely be trying other things in the future. The bird at the top was from a photo I took of a bird perched on an iron hanging basket on my front porch. It was back-lit in the photo and I liked how the silhouette looked so painted it that way. These will be available at The William and Joseph Gallery in Santa Fe.

I guess it's obvious that I'm ready for Spring........Spring-y subject matter lately. Today is supposedly the first day of Spring, but it couldn't feel less like it - freezing, windy and dark. Surely, not for long.........

Almost Empty

"Almost Empty" 6x6 in.

This is the same little wren's nest that I used in the previous nest painting. Isn't it amazing how color and lighting change the mood? The possibilities (one of my favorite words) are endless. Sorry about the reflection in the photo...should have taken a better one, but....I'd rather start another painting.

flycatcher

Two years ago, a family of swallows built a nest on our back porch. Last year, a family of flycatchers moved in and raised their young. The day the babies perched on the edge of the nest and the parents fussed and fussed at them to jump, I put all the dogs and cats in the house to give them as good a chance as possible to make it. They all did and the whole family has stayed around and are doing as their name implies, I hope; catching flies. On a cold, drizzly day, this one perched on a branch in the rain long enough for me to take lots of pictures.

(I'm not 100% sure this is a flycatcher. There is not as much yellow on its breast as in the field guide photo. Maybe because it's winter. If you know exactly what kind of bird it is, please let me know.)

nest

Here's a little sample of what I've been up to. David found this tiny nest on the ground (we'd never take one out of a tree...the birds sometimes reuse nests from year to year) and brought it to me to either paint or put in my "dead area" as he calls it. I call it my nature collection. Whatever you want to call it, he finds the best things to put in it.

p.s. The eggs did not come with it. These porcelain eggs are just filling in. Hopefully, the little wrens that hatched in this nest will be back in the Spring.