Thursday, November 15, 2007

Daily Painting, "Berry Happy Bird" In Progress

"Berry Happy Bird" 7X10
Oil on Board
In Progress

The past week here has been the epitome of fall. Gorgeous trees, mild temperatures, cool nights....sort of an Indian Summer and that always makes me swoon with how beautiful fall can be. Still, we are in this horrible drought and are needing rain desperately.

The other day I went to one of the best places our area has to offer; Stowe Botanical Gardens. As I was walking, a bird swooped past me and landed just off the walkway in a bush loaded with berries. He didn't seem to mind my being there at all. He hopped around a bit while I took some pictures...and then he seemed to just pose for me as you can see in this picture. I zoomed in and snapped this one as fast as I could. And I was really pleased when I got home to find it was in focus and not a blur. (I'm not the world's greatest photog, you see. I usually get too excited to have the moment in front of me and forget to be still, therefore my photos often come out as indistinguishable blurs.)

So...this is the beginning of a "Berry Happy Bird." I have looked through all of my bird books and can't figure out what he is. I thought he might be a White Breasted Nuthatch, a Gray Jay, or a Vireo of sorts. But couldn't find one just like him. So he remains just the "Berry Happy Bird" you see here. If you happen to know what he is, I'd love to hear from you. My intention is to put more red in the berries than in the photo for pop and contrast.
Stay tuned! :-)

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