hello again!

I had so much fun this weekend coming back to my studio! To my paints! To my oystercatcher photos! To a new batch of these cheerful black birds coming to life on my painting table! I have not finished them, but they really wanted to say “HELLO!” to you all….especially my blog friends that are participating in an Earth Day Art Challenge this weekend!

chatting oystercatchersHere’s a few more pics to see how they came together….come back soon to see them all finished, with their bright orange beaks ready to chat some more!

sketching

getting startedso juicy!a bunch

And here is where the magic happens, surrounded by trees and so much spring green! Hummingbirds and swallows zooming outside my window!

Earth Day in my studio

Since this blog challenge was all about art inspired by nature, I have to share a little something my ten year old daughter made on Earth Day (for a friend’s birthday).  Isn’t she sweet?

needlefelted fox made with love by my girl

After the wee fox (and my oystercatcher sketches) were complete, we went out and enjoyed a walk in the forest and found the perfect picnic spot next to a stream.  The sounds of the water flowing and children giggling filled me up more that my yummy organic sandwich could and when the rain started to fall gently through the canopy my heart swelled with the perfection of the moment!

Happy Earth Day everyone! I am so grateful for all that our home provides every day – nourishment and life and so much BEAUTY!  I hope you have done something special to honour your connection to the Earth this weekend and I hope that you will check in to Melodye Shore‘s blog to see how others are expressing their gratitude to the Earth in her Earth Day Art Challenge.