Today

Sisters

"good-enough friends"

10 X 20 canvax

TGIF

I have a really hard time not letting you know that it is Friday. Friday is so huge for me.

Have you guessed that I haven't actually painted anything for a while?

I plan to.
The rain gods are expected this weekend, I think.

I always take that as my permission to paint. Guilt free.

I have been trying real hard to balance my gardens with my art.

I think I have tipped the scale a little as I have been in the yard three evenings this week after five. Making progress.

I saw my first humming bird yesterday. This morning before leaving I put the feeder out. I always wonder if it is the same one from last year. How do they know that I will have that feeder hanging there for them?

I have noticed some changes that have happened to me. Now, I'm wondering when this happened. I'm wondering if it was gradual or all of a sudden. For example, boy you should see my sock drawer. It looks more like a tornado hit than like my neat little rows of perfectly sorted, color coded, folded, stacked socks. When I discovered this, I stood in stark amazement. The amazement was that my heart didn't start beating faster and I wasn't compelled to fix it.

I just shut the drawer and ran quickly to see if the same thing had happened in my pantie drawer. Yes, there it was. Panties in a pile. Quickly check the towels. NOOOOO, not the towels too.

The towels were good. I knew if the towels were not perfectly folded and stacked I was in deep trouble. I got to tell you though when I went to the kitchen I happened to notice that there were forks mixed with the spoons and large spoons mixed with soup spoons. I just took a breath and shut the drawer and wondered when this happened.

Enough for now,
Sharon

The Wingkeeper

That I'm going to write a post without a picture will be very strange. It will be strange for me because I need to show in order to tell. But the fact is, there is no picture. There was only a shadow. I will try my best to tell you about the wingkeeper.

Yesterday was a beautiful, warm, sunny March day right here in the middle of Texas. My gardens and yard were calling to me for much needed grooming. But I just could not seem to get the energy to get started. I really just wanted to sit inside and watch the birds from my chair by the window as I had done all day Friday.

Finally, I put on some work clothes, my garden shoes and gloves and stepped out the back door. That's all it took. The warmth that greeted me was delicious. The first thing I needed to do was leaves. I leave them as long as I can hoping the March winds will carry them away but they mostly just blow and collect in the lower patio. Raking and gathering leaves takes a lot of energy and I take a lot of breaks in my chair swing that is a perfect place to watch the birds feed while I rest.

The red birds perch on the feeder and dine. The chickadees and titmouse land, grab a seed and flit to a branch to feast on the morsel found inside the shell. Then they come back for one more. And again and again. I watched a couple sparrows bully the red birds away. I witnessed male and female red birds courting. And the chickens come and scratch around under the feeder. But yesterday the wingkeeper was in the swing.

I was watching a titmouse flit around the feeder. She did her land and grab several times and then she came to a branch closer to me. I was very aware that she was looking at me. Then she hoped to a closer branch. Then closer. Then she came and lit on the swing chain about 15 inches from my face. She cocked her head from side to side just looking at me. I sat very still and looked at her. Then she fluttered to the back of the swing. Closer. She flew around to the chain on the other side. I turned my head and she cocked her head . We were eyeball to eyeball. And I knew what she wanted. So I sat as still as a cemetery statue and waited. She jumped on my head and began working. I'm sure she thought she had hit the jackpot of nesting material. She worked and worked and tried and tried to pull out my hair. In her frustration she stopped and pecked my head just like a woodpecker. It was all I could do to keep from laughing. But the neatest thing of all was that the sun was to my back and I could see the whole thing in a shadow on my leg. It looked as though she was getting quite a load of gray but when she left she had none. I went in the house and fetched my hair brush and put on the top of the feeder. After a few loads of leaves, I stopped for another break. Sure enough she came back and it all started again. Land and grab. Again and again. Then she spotted the hair brush. she took some of the hair and flitted to the ground. But instead of leaving she came to the swing. This time, she was quicker to jump on. She spent about five minutes each time trying her best to no avail. I wanted so badly to share, being the Wingkeeper and all.

White Eggs

Remember these?

Five white eggs on March 2.
Turned out to be blue birds. This was taken last weekend.

This was taken today. I never knew blue birds laid white eggs.
But we watched the mom and pop feed them.

Mom and Pop watched from a nearby tree each with a bug waiting for me to take this picture.

Today, I needed to hold one. This top opening box of five is about a week younger than the side opening box of four in the previous post.

Blue Eggs

Remember these?
Last weekend they looked like this.

Today, they look like this.

Very close to flying.

Chickadee boxes

Chickadee side opening box.

She left so I could get pictures.

Notice the nest construction material.

Chickadee on top opening box. This is the newest nest.

March Mail

March Mail Art Madness.

Two more left today.

Holiday tomorrow.

Happy!

Oh yes, these might look familiar.

Extra from last September. I just added another layer.

With napkins of course.

Enough for now,

Sharon

Sleepy

> "Sisters in their Nightgowns"

20 X 10 X 1.5 gallery wrapped canvas

Enough for today. OK

Sharon

Friday Mail

Sending today.

Mail from the desk of............

Have a great weekend.

More later.....

Enough for now.

Sharon

Mail out Mail in

I made another mail-at-the-desk today for hand delivery. That's the top one. You know the fun thing about decorating envelopes is they don't have to be works of art. Just fun.

I also received a beautiful envelope from Suze today. I love it Suze, thank you very much. She sent some really cool little goodies inside. She sent me some hands! From her newspaper! Look at her stamp. Dang! I have been saying for the longest that I was going to order stamps from Zazzle. I wish I had already done that. Well, Norah'S March Mail Madness Month is not over with so maybe I will get that done.

Enough for now,
Sharon

March Mail

More March Mail leaving Marlin for a Maven in Maryland.

This is my art-at-the-desk mail for today.

Did you know you can use a real feather as a stamp?

Yep, just press the feather on the stamp pad and then lay in onto your paper.

Then cover the feather with another piece of scrap paper so you can rub it.

Click on the picture and you can get a better view of the feather.

Did you send someone some mail yet?

Enough for now,

Sharon

Nightgowns

Here is a slice of yesterday's work. As in ART play. It is a "Sisters" painting. I was responding to a call for black and white art. So, this is all I can show for now. But you know I can't stand not showing something and it will be a long wait if it makes it in the Jan 2009 issue of Somerset Studio. I'm way ahead...that's good.


Now, let me tell you how "out of the box" I was while trying to make "black and white" art. If you have visited for a while, you know I'm about color. Lots.

I converted the sister images to black and white for transferring. I really enjoyed painting on them but oh my gosh, I had a hard time resisting dipping into just and teeny bit of color. Didn't though.

One thing always leads to another for me; so, I decided to start another "Sisters" using the black and white face images. Here's a little preview of "Sisters in Their Nightgowns". I know you just love seeing the beginning. Oh heck I think it is me who just loves showing. By the way, their nightgowns are various napkins but the feed sack clothes of my youth popped into my head. Some you you may know what I'm talking about. That's a whole other story.
Enough for now,
Sharon

Hand delivered

I declared March as Mail Art Month for myself. These two are ready to go.
Friday is always a good day for 'hands' in the newspaper.
These two were especially lovely and perfect for my weekend project.
But I couldn't help myself and glued them right down.

So, if you need inspiration for the weekend.
How about decorating an envelope.
Glue some hands on it
and
mail it to a friend.
You can send a beautiful napkin, tag with some fibers, atc, or collage scraps from your table.
Or
a poem or recipe or just a note.
Keep it to one stamp worth.
Enough for now,
Sharon

Snow Dust

through my bird watching window
through my great room window

through the same window showing Tim's snow man

did you see my playhouse?

Enough,

Sharon

Butters

I found a fun little chore to do while watching American Idol last night. I have caught all my butterflies that were flapping all over the place in my studio and finished up this little mini file pocket for them. I have gillions and now they all fit right there in that little pocket.

You may remember on Ninth Day of Christmas post, I shared a little mini file pocket for hands. Go see it if you like.

I am just beside myself with all of your lovely comments. I really do appreciate you saying all that you say and I don't think I could ever thank you enough. But I will keep trying. Thank You.

Sharon

Another Reunion

Sister's Easter Reunion

24 X 8 Canvas

Enough Sisters?

I don't think so.

Early Birds

Seems early for my birds to be nesting but gee whiz it's March. This photo was taken Friday afternoon.

I painted the blue bird box when it was first made several years ago but I didn't realize until this picture that it matches the eggs.

This box opens from the side and is rather hard to get a photo but I'm not complaining. It really is good enough.

I think this summer when all the nesting is finished, I will wallpaper the inside of some of my bird boxes. Wouldn't that make a cool picture. I won't do all of them because the birds might not appreciate my taste in decor.

I'm not sure who laid these white eggs in the box on the side of the tank dam. I thought maybe it was a tufted titmouse but my field guide says they lay 5 or 6 brown-dotted white eggs. These are not brown-dotted. Chickadee eggs are also brown-speckled white eggs and their nest always have a lot of moss. I guess I will have to sit out and watch to see who comes and goes.

I have another "sisters" painting finished that I am very anxious to show but I can't get a good picture right now. My assistant, Tim is not here with his camera.

Very very tired so I guess that is enough for now.

Sharon