Birds in the snow

This morning we woke up to a few inches of snow on the ground.  It's most unusual to have snow here in November with many of the leaves still on the trees.  I think the birds were as surprised as we were. Especially the humming birds, used to sipping nectar from their feeder outside the kitchen window.  We had to bring it in and melt the snow that had frozen into the little metal flowers that they sip from.

This little Anna's Hummingbird seemed mighty pleased to be able to have a good breakfast once we melted the ice for him.

When he was finished he flew over to the plum tree to take a look around.  These shots are kind of fuzzy because they're taken from a distance through the kitchen window but I want to show you his iridescent red head and the way he fluffs his feathers up to keep warm. 

Fortunately we had a bag of bird seed for the other birds in our yard, as there are lots of them.   We scattered the seed just outside the back door and were treated to a fast-paced show.  Here are some of our visitors. 

 

When we opened the door they'd fly back up into the arbour or into the plum tree until things looked safe.  Can you spot the three juncos in the tree?

All through the day the little humming birds kept refueling at the feeder.  We are so enjoying the bird life in our back yard. Only thing is, they're making me want to get a camera with a good telephoto lens.  My little point-and-shoot is limited here.

 

Painting options

I've been spending a lot of time painting lately.  Painting walls and ceilings at Yukon Street, actually; not the other kind of painting (even though yesterday's post showed the squash flower).  I'm trying to find the motivation to make the time to move ahead on the other, more artistic kind of painting.  And last night I got it, thanks to Sheila Norgate.  She's a local artist who gave a talk and slide show called "I Never Met a Blank Canvas I didn't Like" and it's inspired me to find the time.

Sheila's paintings are focused on three things these days: birds, dogs and Sigmund Freud.  Her work is gorgeous and colorful--and funny!  She uses text to great advantage.   Here are a couple of the the paintings from last night's group show, Rare Birds.

And here's a link to her card series "Freudian Slips."  Take a look at her website to learn more.

I just love her colors and her sense of style and her humour.  I'm really beginning to think about going back to working with acrylics, which I gave away five years ago when we moved because I hadn't used them for a couple of years.   Maybe in the spring I'll explore that direction.  They're very different to work with than water colors, easier actually.  Over the winter I'll work on my vegetable garden water color project and then...who knows what direction I'll take.

Meanwhile, I'm off to paint another ceiling.

Water colour beginning

I'm finally beginning to work on the water colour paintings of the Wark Street Commons.  It's hard to find the time with all the renovations we're doing but I've started a painting of a squash flower.

It's always hard for me to decide how far to take a painting.  I kind of like this as it is but I could go a lot farther with it.  I could make it much more detailed like this one that I completed last year in Mazatlan. 

I guess it's a toss-up between realistic (and possibly stiff) or loose and possibly unfinished.  Any comments?

Colors of Mexico

It's really grey here this week and the forecast is for more of the same.  I'm missing the hot colors of Mexico so for this week's Mexico Monday post I'm giving you some of the colors I captured with my camera last winter in Alamos and Mazatlan.  Something about these deeply saturated colors actually physically warms my heart.

You can see more posts on Deb's Mexico Monday blog.  It's a wonderful thing to visit this vibrant country on a November day.

Framing shots

Blogs are so great for getting the creative juices going.  I just visited  a blog buddy, Deb and she's posting photos taken through a frame.  This has been presented by another blogger whom I've never met before from Italy.  She is inviting people to share their frame within a frame photos at her blog, The Kat Eye View of the World.  So I took a look through my photo archives and came up with four images.  framing is such a cool way to look at the world.  It even elevates mundane views like the one from my office through the hall and into the bedroom.  Would you like to participate?

From the entrance of Tumacacori Mission, Arizona

Looking out the door of a handmade house on Vancouver Island

The view from the door of my office

Through a round window looking into an ancient adobe building, Arizona

Beauty seen

 

Beauty seen makes the one who sees it more beautiful.
David Steindl-Rast
A Listening Heart