I believe that the goal of a journal is to do daily pieces – at that, I’m failing badly! This is obviously the time of year to do a “bird journal”, but it’s also the time of year when many hours each day are spent working in the very yard that welcomes these beautiful flying creatures! In fact, much of what I’m doing in the yard is planting things that help to draw in those birds… That being reality, I make notes of new/different birds in a notebook and work on the actual artwork mostly at night when the house is quiet-when I have the energy left to do so! It seems that my list of new visitors has far exceeded the time that I have available. And now, in less than 2 weeks, I’m beginning another 30 in 30 challenge-a different one this time. Check out this Marc Holmes June challenge on Facebook: #30x30DirectWatercolor2018! I’m not very experienced at “direct watercolor”, but will try… Thank heavens he’s very lose about rules and if you pre-draw and/or use some pen&ink, it’s acceptable. I know the idea is to get better at direct watercolor, but it’s also simply to get 30 pieces done in 30 days-one may have to preclude the other for me!
Now for my 5th journal piece, I’ve done “Cassin’s Finch”, both male and female since they look so different (and yes, I see that my lettering is not improving…). They are here some years and others they are not. This year, there seem to be more of them and, although the information says they “live in evergreen forests in the mountains up to about 10,000 feet elevation” they seem to be here, at least for the spring. That’s fine; they’re enjoyable to watch, whether gleaning seeds from the ground, eating insects in the trees and bushes or at the feeders. They are such an interesting pair, with the female so “bland” that she doesn’t much resemble her much showier partner!
The Cassin’s Finch are here this year!
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A very unwelcome group of birds in March! 
March brought the return of Robins! 
February-no new birds, but this amusing visitor… 
Welcome January visitors continued… 
January visitors – so much fun to see! 
“Pi Day Pie” 
Day 26-“First Flight” 
Day 27-“Santorini View” 
Day 28-“Teasel Stop” 
Day 29-March Snowflakes Dancing” 
“Spring Gold” 
“Iris & Butterfly” 
DAY 18 – “Rosey Pink” 
DAY 19 – “Poppy” 
“Lemon Cheesecake” 
“I’m Talking Here!” 
Lobster on rough paper 
“Just Call Me Sam” 
“Shell of Many Colors” 
“Popping Up!” 
“Focus” 
“Bzzzz”