Remember and Inspire.

I don't always do an underpainting like this, but it often helps to get the lights and darks established. At this stage it's easier to adjust the composition and values than it would be if I just jumped into the colors with both feet... no pun intended. By the way, these are my actual working shoes that I wear to paint murals in, as evidenced by the junk sticking to the bottoms. I threw them off when I got home from a mural project in Ohio yesterday. They landed pretty much like this. Some things just beg to be painted!

Did you know that chickadees are known for their friendly nature and that it's actually pretty easy to get them to eat from your hand? I didn't.

This picture is of a friend who is kind of a bird-whisperer. I'm working on a portrait of her in between mural projects, which seem to be picking up again.

I'm also working on the set-up for "Aspiring Chickadees" (note the plural) I came across this image as I was searching for photo-references.

While we're waiting for those paintings to emerge, I'll share some thoughts about that mysterious heart-string connection people seem to have with these little creatures.

Whenever I start a painting, I really like to study my subject well. I found, for instance, that chickadees only live two-three years and usually have the same mate each spring. They're great to have around because they feed on insects mostly. They eat twice as much in winter when insects are scarce, which is why it's easy to tempt them to eat from your hand.

Ok...those are just birding facts. But what IS that elusive tug we feel toward the little creatures? I have a theory. I think it's because we empathize with their vulnerability and we aspire to be as resilient.

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Well, it looks like winter is winding down. While we will likely not miss the frigid temps, we sure had a few snow-sparkled mornings that I will  remember fondly. Better yet, I decided to paint some of them. Because I am gifting this one to the friend who took the photo I based this on, I decided to paint it twice.

In fact, I like it so much that I plan to paint it a third time, but much larger. These are small, 6"x6" and 3"x3" respectively. I'm thinking of painting it big enough to go over a fireplace. Hmm, I'll have to think on that a bit.

Of course none of them will be exactly the same. 

Oh, and I got a little crazy, ... and I don't know if I'll ever do this again because some might feel it's a little cheesy,... but I used a toothpick to add just the barest little bit of ultra-fine iridescent glitter in just a few strategic places on the snow. Barely there. 

Any thoughts on that? Feel free to leave a comment.