Birds and Eggs

  

 

 New York City is a place where I've always felt the energy, even as a little kid, and even before I got "sensitive" to that kind of thing. Whenever I'm there, ordinary things appear extraordinary to me--like birds hanging out at a construction site.

I've been appreciating street inspiration more than visits to galleries or museums on recent trips.

  I was drawn to these egg installations on Fifth Avenue.

 

And there's nothing like the gritty and derelict to jumpstart your creative mojo.

It's a city where you can be anything or anyone you want!

New in My Little Shop

Things are happening in my Etsy shop! I'm listing more and more items, so please pop over at your convenience--I'd love your visit. This is a little papier mache box with an eggshell mosaic on the inside of the lid. Looks like I like nests, and eggs. Not so much chickens, though. Although I will admit to a weakness for bird imagery!

Another Nest

It's Nature Week here at Collage Whirl! We are overrun by adorable little animals (baby bunnies, baby squirrels) and sweet birds like mourning doves and blue birds. The nest above is in a hanging plant basket that I have to water at least every other day or else the plant wilts. A couple days ago I began pouring the water when I realized that there was a nest where I usually water. That bird was quite a fast worker--she even laid four little pink speckled eggs, in one of those beautifully engineered nests with the opening on the side. It's sooo hot out there today, and I wonder how the poor bird is faring.

Heron Carter

This little fellow was wandering forlornly around our house and garden last weekend. He had apparently been booted out of the noisy nest of herons across the creek. Since he seemed to be unable to make a sound, we joked that he was mute and had left home to escape his boisterous pterodactyl relatives. He was a gawky little baby who walked really slowly and could only fly a few feet at a time. He kept looking up into the trees to figure out where to roost for the night. My husband even had to herd him away from the road as he drifted aimlessly.

A couple days later when this picture was taken, he had taken refuge on the deck. It's a pretty amazing sight when a wild bird is sitting docilely right outside your back door. We didn't see him again for several days, until one morning, he was there-- in the marsh, striding along (sort of) with a fish in his beak! We knew it was him because he was so radiantly light colored and small compared to the usual herons who frequent our little bay. And he was having trouble swallowing the fish, just something our boy would do. We were lucky enough to witness his first attempts at learning how to do heron things--and the story has a happy ending.

Cardinal Mom

There is a mother cardinal living in my rose trellis! She has the sweetest little nest with three beautiful speckled eggs in it. I feel sorry for disturbing her with my sneaky peeks--she flies away in a panic. I'm often tempted to check her on my way to the garage to finish up some projects. But if I stay behind the glass of the garage door, she doesn't mind at all.

A nest, how evocative of nurturing and maternal love. Right now I'm in a conceptual stage, thinking about what I want to do next, so maybe you'll see some nest related pieces from me here soon. Or not...but I really hope I start working again very soon.