Snow is piled up outside and the wind bites at our cheeks, but inside my studio I experience the best of two worlds. It's warm and cozy with unlimited hot chocolate - that alone is great on a snowy day. The second part of the equation is that my wonderful husband filled the bird feeder just outside my window and being able to watch them and listen to their chirping has been so much fun! A beautiful cardinal came three days in a row, but mostly I see chickadees, robins, wrens and other LBBs (little brown birds). The sound of these sweet guys in the midst of a snow storm was so cheerful!
They seem to show up in my paintings as well as outside my window and I can't but think that creation inspires creation. Just hearing them makes me smile and joyful! And doesn't that often result in inspiration? The video was taken through the blinds looking out from my studio. If you turn up the sound you will hear them!
Today I finished up a painting (24 x 24") which actually has a wren in it so I thought I would share it with you. A visitor in my art booth at the Birmingham Street Fair asked me if I would ever consider painting Cherry Blossoms, which led me to this painting.
The Cherry Blossom, called Sakura in Japan, represents fragility and beauty of life. It's a reminder that life is beautiful and precious, since the blossoms do not last long.
Looking at the finished painting, I notice that because there are so many blossoms, the gray lines weave through the canvas creating their own design - I like that about it. As I was painting, the figure-ground became ambiguous in some areas as flowers abstracted into shapes, making it less predictable.
On Thursday, the collection currently displayed at the Plymouth Coffee Bean comes down. The manager, Donna DeMeyer, shared with me that customers have enjoyed the work. Nice, right? I am thankful for the opportunity to have had my work there. I hope she invites me to display again - it's been great fun. At the moment I am gearing up for a solo show at the Livonia Fine Arts Gallery in March! I will have new work there, so stay tuned for details.
The painting Beautiful Sakura is a 24 x 24" oil painting with wrap around image. More paintings like this are available on my website jsaitkenart.com.