Birds on the brain (not to be confused with ‘birdbrain’)
Cardinal | Mixed media
June 2023 — Every spring I tell myself I’m going to work on the landscaping at my house. Because I don’t really know what I’m doing, it's easy to procrastinate. Year after year I continue to mow the weeds and keep the botanical chaos to a minimum.
This year I decided to combine the need to develop a landscaping plan with a creative project I’m calling Backyard Birding. Giving a project a title and a desired outcome helps me focus and reminds me why I’m doing it. In this case, the goal is to:
create a backyard bird sanctuary
learn about and draw the specific birds I want to attract
plant shrubs and trees, install feeders
create a series mixed media works featuring my birds
Various goldfinches from my sketchbook
I’m fairly ignorant about birds, too, so the first step is research — how they look, what their personalities are, what they eat, and what kind of habitat they like. I currently have cardinals, blue jays, mourning doves, and an occasional oriole. The first bird I want to attract is the American Goldfinch, and above are a few sketches I’ve done. These drawings are laying the groundwork for future mixed media pieces.
This happened in my yard, too!
As far as feeders go, I have one word for you: SQUIRRELS! How to keep them out of feeders is an ongoing (and hilarious!) issue. The slinky defense worked for about a day.
Not my backyard, but this same thing happened at my house!
Feel free to offer any advice on birds, plants, feeders, or squirrels in the Comments section. Thanks!
EXHIBITIONS
“Landscapes in the Abstract” is currently on view through June 30, 2023 at Theatre Salina, 303 E. Iron Ave. Hours are 11:30a-5:30p Mon-Fri, as well as before and after shows. All work is for sale. Please stop by and let me know what you think!
NEXT TIME
Backyard Birding update — maybe even some finished pieces!
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