Every evening when I return home from work, I’m greeted by the chirping of birds as they congregate in the tree outside my window. While the husband calls it a cacophony, I think of it as a council. What must they be discussing, I wonder?
The state of the weather? The shrinking green cover? The paucity of food? Or maybe they’re discussing the changing weather patterns, or the latest thermal waves they rode. Perhaps they’re trading the gossip of the day, or having a friendly spat?
I admit, at times they do get really loud, but still. In this increasingly urban world, I feel blessed to be able to listen in to their conversations! Which is why the tree outside my window and all of the birds that call it home is among the things that I cherish the most.
And just so that I never forget the chirping of the birds, I created this spread in my art journal. It’s fairly straight-forward to create a spread like this. I started by intuitively painting the background. Once I was happy with it, I looked for areas that I really liked, and drew in the birds using a watercolor pencil. I let go of the rest of the painting by coloring over it with gesso and some orange at the bottom. Et viola!
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This is very beautiful! Loved your musing as well. It is interesting to wonder what goes on in their minds.
Isn’t it? There’s so much excitement among them in the evenings, I sometimes wish I could understand their language!
Lovely painting
Thanks Subha
I love the idea of the birds gossiping and catching up with what’s been going on in their world. I really like your painting. You make it sound so easy to do something like that, but it really is a talent to be able to create images like that.
I’m sure they must, it sounds like that every evening! Thanks Ellen, I’m glad you liked the painting. 🙂
I always wonder if the birds are discussing something when they jabber back and forth. I like the painting in your journal.
Thanks for sharing it with us in the blogfest – Dan – cohost – #CBF16
I’m almost convinced they do! 🙂
Beautiful, especially the pattern on the birds. They just come alive in your work 🙂
Thanks Shalini. Glad you liked it! 🙂
There’s a tree near my house too, that has these many birds and my sister and I used to watch them fly back to the tree at sunset and wonder similarly. 🙂 I like the pattern. They aren’t birds of a pattern (feather) so they’re not sticking together. 😀
I sometimes imagine their conversations too. Especially when they’re all chirping together!
Very impressive! The only “art” I create is with words (if I can call it that), so I admire anyone who can draw, sketch or paint anything more complicated than a stick figure.
Creating “art” with words is most certainly a thing! It’s artistry and craft too!!
Thanks! There’s certainly a lot of typing, deleting, and retuning, that’s for sure. I appreciate the supportive comment!
I love birds. I am not a birder but I just like watching them and listening to them. I think they do gossip and communicate with each other about life and philosophy. We need a bird chirp translator app. Anyone?
Oh, that would be lovely! Which reminds me, there was a guy on YouTube who created music by the pitch of birdsong – translated that into keys – I wish I could find it again!
Loved the colors and the patterns in the bird. Lovely composition.
Thank you! 🙂
I love the picture you posted; it looks like batik. When I first moved from New Jersey down here to Florida, one of the very first art pieces I bought was a batik of birds…straight from the artist’s hands!
Wow, fantastic painting!
I really loved the way your musing worked with what the birds must be chirping about. It is true, in big cities the only birds sounds we get to hear is the hooting of the pigeons. The chirping of birds can be heard rarely. The art work you created looks picture perfect.
Oh yes! They’re almost a menace, pigeons! It’s really a pleasure to hear the birds in the evenings in this urban jungle I call home. 🙂
I love the way you have put both words and colourful image into this post. I too have birds outside the kitchen window and they come and drink the water we leave them by the back door.
Thank you Simon. The birds are a constant source of amusement for our cats. They sit in the window and watch them prancing about on the balcony outside. 🙂
The painting is lovely and thank you for describing the process. I must say you have quite a way with words too.
Thank you Kalpanaa 🙂
The painting is beautiful – thanks for describing what inspired it and how you did it. I’m sure the birds are always watching humans, discussing the weird things we get up to 😉
I’m quite convinced they are! 😉
You are a fantastic artist and your paintings speak volume !
Thank you so much Atul! Makes me super happy to hear that 🙂
Consider my as fan of your work and talent love !
Thank you!! xxxx