Arctic Tuesday!!! Brrrrrrr

Very cold temperatures today in the heartland so the bird feeders and squirrel feeding area were all quite busy.  The two top photographs are of the elusive Eurasian Collared-Dove that is so shy of the camera.  He was so cold he let me take pictures of him at two of the feeders today.  After I photographed him I stepped away to let him have his fill before he departed.  He really is too big for the feeders, but the finch and cardinals all feed with him so I figure if he breaks a feeder I'll try to fix it or go look for a new one. 



This species of dove was introduced from Europe and has only been in our area for about 5 years.  Initially, all of our Mourning Doves left the neighborhood when they moved in, but this summer I found both species feeding together and interacting in a friendly manner.  They are quite a bit larger than the Mourning Doves.

The photo below is of a squirrel that was checking me out while I was on the telephone this morning to see if I was going to take pity on him and feed him some peanuts.  He worked so hard to get to that area of the grapevine I couldn't refuse his effort...plus he did the little front paws rolled into the chest, head tilted, body shaking maneuver that would put Olivier (insert great actor of your generation here) to shame.

Look at how thick the fur on his ears has gotten.  A sign of the winter months ahead?  Yikes!!

Stay warm!!
Laurie

Snowy Plains

We have been having a prolonged snowfall since Friday night, and we still have snow falling today.  The poor finch were filling the feeding stations at the bird feeders yesterday with visits including a male cardinal and an Eurasian Collared-Dove.  You know it is cold and food is scarce when a large dove lands on one of the finch feeders to get some seed.  I missed the photo opportunity because when I moved for the camera so did the dove.

From the looks of the snow depth in the birdbath and in the flower pots I'm thinking we have between 10 to 12 inches so far.  I love the way it looks like tall angel food cakes in the containers....hm mm, cake sounds good!

  

The bird feeders need to be refilled so I better get to them and then into the studio to get some work done.  Have a great week!

Laurie

Spring Palette

When I first started painting my figures I used Grumbacher, Winsor & Newton and Liquitex paints because that is what I was taught to paint with.    However, as I mixed colors that were impossible to remix perfectly to touch up my figures, I finally decided to give into the wide array of colors available in craft paints that could end that misery.

I am now a craft paint junkie.  I still do my test palettes, such as you see above, because as you all know the colors never dry the same color you see when they are wet. 

This spring inspired painted page will soon be cut into individual squares with the brand and color placed on the back.  As I'm trying to decide on what colors to use on a figure I can place the colors side-by-side easily to develop the color scheme.  This helps me quickly judge what shade of a color will work best with the other tints and shades found on this page.  It is sort of like creating your own paint chips from the colors you have on hand.  Spray them with varnish and they will last you for years.

It's an easy little thing that I hope becomes a tool for you too! 

Have fun painting!
Laurie