In my last blog I wrote of the migration of many song birds that spend the winter in the tropics, now coming north to spend the summer in the United States and Canada.
Some of these birds are dozens of species of warblers, thrushes, vireos, orioles, flycatchers, tanagers, grosbeaks, they are traveling north to find a mate, make a nest, and lay their eggs. This is the inspiration for this artwork.
- Gather Supplies.
- Use Embossing Dabber to Apply Gel on both Sides of GSLC Scribble Frames- Oval Ivy.
- Sprinkle with Allure Charred Gold Embossing Powders and Cure With a Heat Tool.
- Add Patina to Cured Frames using Acrylic Paints-Gold, Copper, Green Gold, Gold, Browns and a Paintbrush.
- Cut Book-board to Use as Backdrop for Prepared Frames.
- Use a UHU Glue Stick to Add Scrapbook Paper.
- Trace Center Part of Frame on another Piece of Scrapbook Paper.
- Cut out Ovals and Use as Guideline for Collages.
- Choose Stickers form Antiquarian Sticker Book, and Collage onto Scrapbook Paper , Securing With a UHU GlueStick.
- Use WeldBond Glue to Attach Collages to Frames and Also to Prepared Background Pieces.
- Dry Full, Pressed and Weighted Down.
- Once Fully Dry Add Glossy Accents Medium to the Locations you Desire.
- Allow to Dry Fully Creating a Glasslike Center Over Top of Collages.
Final Thoughts
I’ve always been fascinated by bird’s nests and their eggs. I wrote about them in this blog, Waiting for the Robins.In Part: “A little further up the paved road was a farm road that led to the left. It was heavily posted that trespassers would be prosecuted so he ran the first few yards to get under the cover of the faithful trees that would shelter him from all harm. The boy is aware of the chirping of the birds as they flutter about making preparations for their expected families. The boy always remembers to put out pieces of yarn and cotton because he liked to imagine himself a nest maker or at least a nest provider. Perhaps the ‘Jenny’ Wren, his mother's favorite, would use some of it to brighten her home. He loves how the tiny bird makes his mother's heart sing. Her face brightens with a smile whenever she hears the birds bubbling song as she hangs the clothes out to dry on the spring's gentle breeze.
He noticed a goldfinch that was becoming more recognizable as a male because he was getting the bright yellow color back into his feathers. The boy hopes his favorite springtime bird will return to one of his parents many bird feeders. The indigo bunting is an awesome sight to behold because of their brilliant, almost iridescent blue that will always outshine that of the bluejays or eastern bluebirds.
An observation the boy has made is that birds sing loudest in the springtime. Their songs can seem overpowering. some birds sing with their whole hearts, while others sing with their whole beings making their proclamations of joy. He is reminded of the mourning dove; whose sorrowful song is strangely silent when they take flight upon their whistling wings. While some birds have beautiful songs, the boy believes that others are no so lovely. In fact, he thinks the blackbirds, the crows, and the starlings, are the troublemakers of the bird kingdom with their robust calls and squeaky cackling.”
I like the classic “cup or bowl-shaped nests”made by robins, flycatchers, larks, thrushes, hummingbirds, warblers, and many others. They are made with twigs, leaves, mosses, lichens, seaweed, mud feathers, fur hair from animals. Furthermore, birds often line their nests with additional softer materials. Some even use spider webs or cocoon silk. Although most reptiles lay eggs, and even some mammals (such as the platypus) too, birds are the only backboned animals alive today that can lay colorful and patterned eggs.
