Nest with a View

Birds have never been a theme in my work, probably because I can't draw them correctly. When the theme of birds was chosen for the challlenge I wonderedif it was possible to use the theme without using an actual bird. That is where the idea for "Nest with a View" came from.

It is painted with acrylic with several layers of under painting. If I were to do it again, I would raise the postition of the nest, so that it felt more "up in the air." This compostiton makes it look as if it is a ground nest which was not my intention. I meant to capture the view the bird would see from her nest in the tree. Oh, well, on to the next piece.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Judi Stack

Bird at Home

Lets hear a cheer! My very first challenge is completed! And believe me, it WAS a challenge. Thank you Tracie and Jan for putting this together. I need this to get me in my studio doing something other than Art & Soul!

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Glenny Moir

Fly Away

I am normally a 3-D artist: metal, gourds, fiber, paper mache....I love the feel of the medium I am using in my hands as I craft a new piece. But lately I have found myself wanting to dabble again in paints, lured by the color and versatility of new materials that beckon to me from the art store shelves.

My piece was done in acrylic - free-handed and not meant to be realistic - but more an extension of my yearning to change my life and follow my heart to new challenges as represented by the woman flying away with her heart in her hand, carried by the bird, to explore the unknown.

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune--without the words,

And never stops at all.

Emily Dickinson

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Jan Harris

Canadian Goose

I met this handsome guy this spring, with camera, dog and sunrise at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens. The Geese and Ducks were just awakening, and this guy was dabbling around for breakfast. He looked up from what he was doing, and the sun caught the water beading off his feather coat, studding him with diamonds.

No Ugly Ducklings here.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Suzie Wolfer

Mournful Raven

Mournful Raven

The original image of the raven came from my trip three summers ago to attend the funeral of my husband's niece, Kristen, who had been killed in a hiking accident.

Although the reason for the trip was deeply sad, the gathering of his siblings all together for the first time in many years was a privilege to be a part of. We spent 10 days together on Kodiak Island off of the coast of Alaska and fished, hiked, walked the beaches, went on a boat and saw whales and caught 1000 pounds of salmon and halibut and just spent time together.

This little raven came and sat on the table where we were cleaning our fish after our boat trip. He was wounded and hopped about begging for scraps. Despite his challenges he looked well fed, although a bit unkept with his broken wing and crushed leg....All the things that I heard of Kristen during my time on Kodiak, this bright, successful, talented and well loved woman of 26 years, who had faced considerable challenges of her own, this little raven seemed to symbolize. Of all the beautiful things I saw and experienced on my first trip to Alaska, his image has stayed with me and finally has found his place in my work.

The four eggs on the left hand side of Mournful Raven sybolize Kristen and her three siblings....only two of which survive her. The large dark egg in the background symbolizes her father, Dodd, whose pain is deep and enduring.

In Kristen's memory I dedicate this piece.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Bee Shay

Owl by Traci Donahue

This artwork was painted with acrylics.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Traci Donahue

In The Name of ... Crow #5

This piece was made of 4 transparencies. The top is just the "frame", the second is the crow, the third the alder tree background and the last one is all of them together. They are all held together by pins with beads separating the layers. The same pins and beads are holding the crow feathers in place.

Crow #5 is a piece honoring my mother, who passed away this last Sunday. One crow for sorrow. Thank you for that poem, Leigh.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Z'Anne Bakke

Bird Gathering by Paula McNamee

I wanted to portray a group of birds gathered together. I re-sized my images in Photo Shop to get the proportions for an 8x8. Then transferred my drawn images onto an acrylic and ink painted background with collage papers. I painted the birds with acrylics.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Paula McNamee

I Saw the Bird Lying on the Ground...

One afternoon, I was walking through the woods, and happened to notice something on the ground. I could not help being fascinated by the sight of the bird on the ground, and it created quite bit of curiosity in me as to what caused its demise. I was very intrigued by the shape and form of the bird itself.
So, I took a picture of it, and I was not sure as to how to treat it with respect in my artwork. I decided that I would leave the bird as it is without making it more macabre or watering down its lifelessness.
I am not sure as to why I chose to do this type of art, but at this point, I believe that it accurately depicts exactly how I felt when I first saw it on the ground.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by &rew Borloz

Birdsong by Cynthia Mooney

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Cynthia Mooney

Early Morning Song

Mornings are the most calming time of the day for me. I love to rise to the soft serene noises that welcome the coming day. Bird songs combine notes in a symphony where the melody sung by the various birds create harmonic blends as though written by one of the great composers.

As I listened to the music I spotted a small vermillion flycatcher peering from a nearby tree. Was he a gift for my thirsty soul?

His colors were vibrant against the morning sky. They looked much like the horizon rich with color. His song was joyful as he welcomed the early morning sun,looking toward the heavens as if he were singing praises and thanks. He sat there for the longest time and I watched intently in awe as the gentle breeze caused his feathers to wave softly.....

He became the inspiration for my July challenge.









I gathered paints, brushes, water and canvas, then cleared a spot on the table so I could begin attempting to capture his beauty in my work.


Oh my, where to begin? I sketched an outline of the tree and leaves then the vermillion on a piece of white paper. This would be the beginning of my creation.








I covered the canvas with white acrylic paint to seal the pores then mixed light blue paint with white to cover the top third of the canvas. Using a light green mixed with white I covered the bottom of the canvas. The colors were extended around the edges of the canvas. I used graphite paper to trace the outline of my drawing onto the canvas. Since I was using a stretched canvas with two inch sides I thought I would have the tree wrap around the edge. Once the rough sketch was transfered to the canvas I began to paint the tiny bird, tree and leaves.



Carefully I applied a base coat for each object in the picture...brown for the tree and branches, green for the leaves, black for the dark areas of the vermillion and orange for the areas where his vibrant colors are located. I love painting botanicals so the tree and leaf colors seemed to flow from the brush as I dipped it carefully into each color. The strokes were small and required a careful hand.

I lost myself in this tiny creature as I began to paint his small yet brilliantly colored feathers. The black feathers surrounding his eyes remind me of a bandit that was waiting patiently to grab a treasure. His treasure of flies and other insects were way too small for me to capture on the canvas so I will just let you imagine that he must be watching one silently....Ready to strike at any moment!

Here is the final piece that I will be placing in my art studio where it will remind me of the early morning song he sang as he serenaded me on a bright sunny summer day.

What a darling little musical performer!



He sings his song just for me..
As he sits high within the tree.

My day has begun with a smile...
And a song that warms my heart.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Marylin Huskamp

day by day, The virtue and Strife for a goal

It is hard for me to believe that July is already half over. My first Nature Gathered artwork is complete.

Now you would think this theme would have been an easy subject since I am constantly showing birds on my blog, and selling works in my little shop, as well as teaching Nature related workshops. But in reality, I have been ponder on this piece for over five weeks.

Why so difficult, you may ask?

Well...the word challenge according to Webster's Dictionary means,"to arouse or stimulate especially by presenting with difficulties".

This is the first piece in a body of work I will be presenting. It represents a part of Nature I hold dear. I also want to take full advantage of this opportunity to grow and stretch my art in new directions.

So where to begin?

I knew I wanted the piece to be saturated with rich colors. However, beyond that, I did not know where to go next.

After careful thought and consideration, I chose to dedicate the majority of the background to a study in pattern design or patterning. This is an area that had always fascinated me when I was working as a mass market retail product designer.

Although I consider myself a representational painter and have no intentions of abandoning this part of my style, I am increasingly finding myself drawn to more abstract elements. Bits of abstraction are also something I would like to incorporate into my future works.

As I was furiously creating, new ideas were flooding my thoughts. I have now found myself snipping inspiration from catalogs, magazine, here and there, tucking them away to use later.





Without further adieu, I proudly share my art with you.


The entire artwork was rendered on fabric with the exception of stitching and small paper elements. I spent a great deal of time mapping out the logistics of the background, painting and repainting, with wash after wash of diluted acrylics to achieve just the right look and depth.

I made only a few changes to the piece once I started. I suppose it could be considered part of the evolution of the work. One of the biggest was going from the use of three chickadees, down to one chickadee, then abandoning this bird type for the bluejay you see.

I also added a pattern to the bird to help him transition the two distinct areas of the painting, the grid patterning and the sky, making the viewer wonder if the bluejay is real, abstract, or both.

Art and image copyrighted 2008 by Tracie Huskamp