A wip,

Just listed in etsy.
10 x 10 in oil on canvas.
Bird speak is about the connections and communications, humans have with nature.

oil on canvas
prints available, see etsy

We had dinner with some new friends who live in Ojai. I met Harry Mattull at the jury meeting for the new OVA gallery. Harry is a wonderful and prolific artist: https://www.harrymattull.com/index.php . His wife Christie prepared such a delicious meal of sweet potato fries, brussel sprouts and shrimp kabobs. We ate outside in the back yard and they set up this charming setting:

Harry collects antiques and the dinnerware was beautiful green glass. It was pretty and pleasant outside.

Friday J noticed something flapping around in the pool.
a sweet little baby bird.

We set it down, went to do some errands and when we came back it was gone. Hopefully it was just getting its legs and flew away. Baby birds are so vulnerable where we live, between cats and crows, hawks and blue birds many don’t make it but we did not see and signs of attack.

And here is a pic of the neighbor’s new llamas! They are funny creatures! While we were there one of them spit on the Emu for touching him! ha aren’t they cuties!

the past three mornings when I have watered my chinese lantern plant a little bird flies out. So this morning I took a look inside.

thrills! A nest! They are about the size of jelly beans. 😀

oil on canvas, “Red Confetti” is 4 feet by five feet a work in progress. It is the largest size I do, any larger means issues with transportation, or selling.

I wanted to put red birds in this painting as I thought they would add great spots of color and contrast to the sky, so I did a search on flickr for red birds and found an image I was quite taken with. The photograph was titled red confetti and it looked like part of the sky was dense with red confetti and hands reaching up as if having thrown it, it was striking against the sky and at closer inspection, you see that the confetti is shaped like flying birds, brilliant! and the caption explains that the confetti has lyrics on the bird’s wings. I adore the idea and the concept, touching. At the last, I will add words to the wings, stylistically I am debating about it and about the meaning the words will carry. The hoop skirt of course is a cage from which the birds exit, I still have some more thinking to do about the conceptual aspects and also how I want to finish out the colors, I’m thinking to tone down or mute the color so the red birds will pop. This picture is cropped and taken at an odd angle.

I do need to make my way over to La Luz de Jesus to pick up something I am excited about, just not sure I will make it out there today. Its rainy and cold. Pugs are snoring. I have a glue book I am working in every day, its helping me to keep organized.

I have not submitted or entered a single competition or art show at all this year so far, not sure why I am not motivated, but need to snap out of it. I am going to submit to a show a friend told me about that is art on vinyl records or the covers or both because I have been saving such things for that very purpose for over 15 years. I think they look really cool old but its time to do something with them already.

some of the records are damaged but others of them are in perfect condition.

I wish CBS Sunday morning was on everyday.

I woke up to the sound of the weaver birds who have built a nest up under the palm tree in our backyard. The male bird is gorgeous and the nests are a marvel.

An art bud told me about these

"In Japanese tradition, the figure was given as a gift when someone started on a new path/goal/adventure/etc. When the goal/etc was committed to, you would paint the left eye of the figure. When the goal was achieved, you’d paint the right eye."

Working on paintings and figures, I’m predictable.