In my Garden There are Birds and Flowers

Do-Something-Everyday, July 4, 2016

Happy 4th of July to all my US readers. It is a glorious summer day and the day lilies, rudbeckias and echinacea  are in full bloom. A couple of days ago, I spotted a goldfinch (also the state bird of New Jersey where I live) flew in and perched on top of the seed head of an echinacea . I did not take a photo but decided to capture it on paper. While I was painting a charming scene, I remembered Fabritius' chained Goldfinch. I have only a seen a photo of it but in Donna Tartt's novel The Goldfinch (which I have read) it is a major character that drives the story. Have any of you seen the actual painting or read the book? The book won the Pulitzer prize but I found it to be overlong and overwritten. The most compelling part is first section of the book and the most tedious is the last one.

Linked to Art Journal Journey July challenge.

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Bits 'n' Pieces

Do-Something-Everyday, July 3, 2016

Bits and pieces of backyard detritus and painted rocks. Linked to Our Beautiful World this week's theme Bits 'n' Pieces. 

Also linked to Image-in-ing.

Twenty Shades of Robin

Do-Something-Everyday, June 30, 2016

Ball pen sketches from observations of a couple of robins in the backyard. They stayed perched on a tree stump for several minutes and were so close to where I was standing with my camera that I could not resist taking several pictures. Seeing their many expressions, I had to sketch them. I am planning to rework them into a more formal drawing/painting at some point.

Linked to Paint Party Friday. Thanks for Kristin and Eve for hosting.

Y is for Yellow

Do-Something-Everyday, June 29, 2016

It is letter Y at ABC Wednesday this week. Though Y for yellow is quite trite, I chose it because it is not only my favorite color, I also tend to photograph objects that are yellow. Like the one above which I found at a church parking lot in Banbury, England. Some of the other yellow objects here come from my backyard.

Moving on to other topics, the challenge at Try it on Tuesday is 'I believe I can Fly'. I am submitting the canvas collage below for the challenge. This collage is done using pieces of sari fabric and a original watercolor bird painting.

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Remaking Old into New

Do-Something-Everyday, June 28, 2016

It is called Tangle Remix at the I am the Diva czt. The challenge is to take an old tangle and spruce it up. I did two. The picture at the top is a remix of tiny wood journal cover I did below.

The piece below is a remix of the bottom piece.

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What a Wonderful World

Do-Something-Everyday, June 27, 2016

It is amusing to see how birds stake their claim to a food source. I have observed several resident robins standing protectively around the berry bush when passing migratory birds land on the yard in search of food. I planted this apple tree last year and it is not a fully grown yet. It is producing a small amount of fruits and a group of sparrows have started to park themselves on the branches. Other birds occasionally scope out the tree but the sparrows seem to have secured it.

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Three is Just a Number

Do-Something-Everyday, June 26, 2016

This week's theme at Our Beautiful World is Three. As I was going through my photo folders, I noticed that many of my samples of three came from museum exhibitions and architectural elements. Take a look.

Thanks for visiting. Linked to Image-in-ing.