In Flight

Trying to get a photo of a bird in flight is quite the challenge.  It requires a great deal of patience (not to mention luck) and it's not until after you've downloaded the hundreds of photos you've taken that you discover what you actually caught.

Each one is a gift, a surprise, a snapshot in time. 

They always look so beautiful in flight, with their wings and feathers spread wide.

Yet so delicate . . . . fragile.

Sitting there patiently, I never tire of watching them.

Linking with Madeline for the Sunday Creative.

Differences

Being a Brit living in the US I often find myself smiling over the differences between the two countries, most often over the everyday things.

Take drive through banking for example.  Most of you probably don't give this a second thought, just see it as a nice convenience but it's one of those things that really stood out when I moved to the US.  Probably because it's something you won't find anywhere in the UK.  

I find the idea of driving through amusing, it makes me giggle.  I've only done it a few times when the weathers been bad and when they ask "is there anything else I can do for you today" I have to stop myself from asking for a shake and fries!

Have you visited or lived in other countries, what are some of the differences that have made you giggle?

Hide & Seek

At first glance you'll see a finch hanging out on one of our bird feeders . . . . . . .

. . . . . but if you look closely you'll see someone doing a terrible job at playing hide-and-seek.

This isn't the best photo but each time I look at it I can't help but smile.  What has made you smile today?

You Know It's Spring When . . . . .

Nothing says Spring quite like the birth of new calves and lambs and I've been noticing lots of little bundles of joy popping up in the fields around our home.

Usually they are quite some distance away but during a drive this weekend my husband and I were fortunate enough to stumple upon this mother and calf in a field close to the road. 

  

I don't think the calf could have been that old.  If you look closely you can see some of the umbilical cord still showing.

  

It was such a beautiful thing to be able to see up close.  I made sure that I didn't stress them out by staying a reasonable distance away on the other side of the fence and using my telezoom lens.  The mother was very accommodating, every once in a while she would look up to check where I was and then carry on drinking and feeding.  I'd like to think she knew I wasn't a threat. 

Seeing this little guy's awkward steps made me feel like I was witnessing something truly amazing.

 Then, after they'd had their fill of grass and water they headed off to join the rest of the herd.

We also spied this cute little guy too, a big bundle of wooliness.

It's crazy to think that with all these signs of Spring, just a day later we had snow.  Hoping it was a fleeting sprinkle.

What did you get up to this weekend?

When Nature Inspires Art

My latest painting 'Moonlight Crow' was inspired by the numerous crows that can be seen around our home.

I usually begin any new painting by starting with a canvas that I've textured in some way.  The base of this particular canvas was covered with tissue paper.

 

 

Next I sketched out a rough image and then proceeded to add texture and several layers of paint.  Below is the finished painting.

Don't forget I'm having an Art Sale this week.  Stop by my shop announcement for more details.

Have a great weekend.

Weekend Reflections

Weekend Reflections contribution.

ART SALE

For the remainder of this week I will be holding an ART SALE in my Etsy Shop.  To receive 15% off any Textured Acrylic Art Painting simply enter coupon code 15ARTDISCOUNT during checkout (offer excludes sale items and shipping).

  

  

  

  

This offer also applies to my Textured Art Photo Frames.  Sale ends at midnight on Sunday March 27th.

  

Happy Browsing.

Studio Workspace

I recently had a bit of a clear up in my studio so I thought it would be fun to share some photos with you.

I have to confess that it's extremely rare for it to actually look this clean and tidy.  In fact right now, just a few days after I took these photos it already looks like a crazy mess.

I have a very supportive and understanding husband who let set up my art studio in our sun room.  It has the most amazing light and this is where I do all of my painting.

Sitting at the table being surrounded by trees and wildlife I can't help but be inspired.

I bought an inexpensive vinyl tablecloth from the dollar store to cover the table and then I place wax paper on top of that.  When the wax paper gets covered in paint I simply replace it with some new pieces.

I love the ikea shelving you see in the background, they're such a great storage solution and I also use an old pine bookcase for housing some of my art supplies too.

If you have pictures of your own workspace feel free to post a link in the comments section.

Signs Of Spring

What a beautiful weekend.  I finally found some signs of Spring that I'd been so desperately searching for.

 

 

Even the birds seemed to sense that Spring was in the air and wanted to sing about it.  I had to laugh at this dove.  Each time it went to eat it would close it's eyes, bury it's head in the pile of seeds and then flick them everywhere until it found one that it liked.

 

  

What a difference a day makes . . . . yesterday the sun was shining and today it's dark and gloomy after a thunder and lightening storm just rolled through.  Still I'm not complaining, hopefully the rain will bring even more signs of Springs.

Sunday Creative 'Magnified'

Magnified

Definition: adj 1. caused to be held in greater esteem 3. intensified or exaggerated 4. enlarged in fact or in appearance

Sunday Creative contribution, join in the fun here.