SO READY

Early one spring this little fellow stopped his busy activities at the edge of our woods for just a moment. Bluebirds are such a gift when you see one - so pretty and breathtaking. I was happy to get his picture (on film back then) before he took flight again.

One spring I took photos of Papa Bluebird teaching Junior to take a bath in the bird bath outside the studio window. Mama joined them during the whole funny escapade, and I must paint it sometime soon. That day, I'd gotten up from painting to stretch, and as I walked toward the far window, I sensed the need for my camera - one of those 'intuition times' that I listened to. They'd been long gone if I'd gone to grab the camera and returned to the window.

It's always thrilling for me to observe God's creatures because they are immensely delightful and usually full of surprises, and so often I'm inspired to try to share their world in a painting. This was painted several years ago, and I'm itching to paint birds again. The birds were REALLY singing today a lot, and I think maybe the snow and ice melt a little faster when they sing so much. I can wish, anyway.

"WATCHING FOR SPRING" Transparent Watercolor on 140#CP Arches 8 x 18" Collected