cardinal

Red Cardinal Watercolor

/ Jodi / 62 Comments

Red Cardinal Watercolor.

I was away this past week on a wonderful “GFC” (Girlfriend Camp) trip, followed by a couple days of grandie girls and family fun.

This past Sunday afternoon, after over a week away from any ARTing, I found a bit of time in my art studio to paint.

I always fear when I’m away from it for a while, I will “forget” how to do it.

I decided to do a bird, then chose a cardinal.  I had some Simon & Garfunkel playing.  I felt completely relaxed, and just painted.  No drawing.  No warm-up.  And I got lucky and loved the result.

Just in case it turned out, and because I’ve been asked about sharing my process and “teaching,” I took a few quick iPhone photos of the steps I took along the way to share with you.

I found a cardinal photo on my ipad and then started with the eye placed where I thought was about right on a 10×16 sheet of Arches Cold Press.  I used Daniel Smith Indigo and Quinacridone Gold, leaving some white for the highlights in the eye.

When painting loose, you need to have a focal point, and when a bird or animal, a good focal point is the eye and/or beak/nose.  So from the eye, I used a wet brush to outline the beak, then added some Daniel Smith permanent deep red and water to blend the colors.

I deepened some of the colors and added the crown shape of the cardinals head and the shape of its neck.  This is pretty much all the “detail” I wanted in this painting.

From here, I added some more of the red and some cadmium yellow.

Then I just got super loose adding some violet and blue and green gold, lots of water for movement, and more indigo splashes.  I held the painting up vertically to let the drips run.

And this is what resulted.  I’m happy with how it turned out, and so glad to know I didn’t “forget” how to do it after being away for a while.

This painting – as an original, prints, and greeting cards – is available in our McKinneyX2Designs Etsy Shop and at Berry Vine Gifts in BradfordWoods, PA.

Have a wonderful day, and don’t be afraid to fearlessly and joyfully go for whatever it is you love to do!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Bright Spot in the Storm

/ Jodi / 61 Comments
Red Male Cardinal - Backyard, Mars, PA - taken through glass window - January, 2018

Red Male Cardinal – Backyard, Mars, PA – taken through glass window – January, 2018

A Bright Spot in the Storm.

Need we really look
any further

than out the window
amidst a storm

when searching
for a bright spot?

Nature’s examples
teach us

there is always a bright spot
amidst a storm.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Bright red male cardinals fill my backyard in the winter and seem even more vibrant when the snow is swirling and blowing and the tree branches are bare.  Such a bright spot in my day.

A Rule of Life

/ Jodi / 26 Comments

female-cardinal-in-the-snow-december-2016

“Those of us
who are warm and dry
and safe and well-fed
must show up for those
who are cold and wet
and endangered and hungry.
That’s a rule of life.
Every ethical and religious and spiritual
tradition in the world
agrees on that rule.”

-Elizabeth Gilbert
thecompassioncollective.org

The true spirit of the season is not in simply buying gifts,
but in giving and doing what we can for those in need.

 

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

#RealMeaningofChristmas

 

Baby It’s Cold Outside

/ Jodi / 42 Comments
Seymour Snowie - Watercolor Holiday Snowman with Cardinal - 4 1/4 x 5 1/2

Seymour Snowie – Watercolor Holiday Snowman with Cardinal – 4 1/4 x 5 1/2

Baby It’s Cold Outside…

I swear everything reminds me of some song.

No matter the discussion, I typically can break out into song about it…

or at least have a song running through my head at the same time.
(If you are anywhere nearby, you will likely hope it only runs through my head as carrying a tune is not one of my stronger talents!)

This time of year,
everything brings to mind a Christmas Carol.

It started snowing yesterday!
And turned C O L D!

I really can’t stay…. but Baby, it’s cold outside….
I’ve got to go away…. but Baby, it’s cold outside….

December snow is the best snow.  It is when most of us actually get excited to see snow – as opposed to March snow – when we are usually soooo over it!

So I was inspired to paint this chilly little guy – Seymour Snowie.

He is a holiday snowman, and he is chatting with his little friend Cameron the Cardinal.  I think they are so GLAD it’s cold outside!  At least Seymour is.

Wishing you cold, snowy fun outside, and warm comfort inside!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

(PS – I thought this might make a cute Holiday Greeting Card or Holiday Thank You Note, so I made these little cuties into cards for our McKinneyX2Designs ETSY shop.  You can check them out here!)

snowy-snowman-holiday-greeting-card

Winter Wonderland:  World Watercolor Group

I Have Officially Become a Bird Nerd

/ Jodi / 88 Comments
purple finch

Curious the Purple Finch, Mars, PA

I have to admit I have officially become a “bird nerd!”

After sharing Happy, My Blue Bird of Happiness yesterday (well officially an Indigo Bunting, but I like to give most everyone a name), and sharing what a stand out he is among the crowd, I thought I’d share some more of my feathered friends with you today from our little backyard sanctuary.

From hummingbirds that are only about an inch and a half long…

hummingbird

Hummer the Hummingbird, Mars, PA

to Woody, the Pileated Woodpecker who is about a foot and a half long…

pileated woodpecker

Woody the Pileated Woodpecker, Mars, PA

our backyard is just chirping with charming chatterboxes.

Here is where we all hang out.  I took a few pictures very early yesterday morning, while the dew was still dancing and the sun was just summoning its presence for the day.

backyard deck

Our back deck is southern facing, so it is warmed up quickly when the sun rises and is shaded by late afternoon when the sun is hottest.

backyard deck 2

I am still patiently waiting for the birds to discover they can bathe in the bird bath.

backyard deck 3 birdbath

And when the sun gets too hot, we can round the bend to the side of the house for shade…

rocking chair and fern

side porch

where it is undercover, and we can sit in cushioned comfort.

backyard deck 3 side

porch rules

Even Charlie likes a break from the sunshine sometimes.

backyard charlie

The birds come out rain…

male cardinal

Male Cardinal, Rainy Day, Mars, PA

or shine.

female cardinal

Female Cardinal, Sunny Morning, Mars, PA

Mr Rose-Breasted Grosbeak always dresses for breakfast and dinner in his finest formal wear…

male grosbeak

Male Grosbeak, Mars, PA

and carefully watches over the little Mrs.

female grosbeak

Female Grosbreak, Mars, PA

There are many more – the sparrows and cowbirds, the bluejays and the goldfinches, the warblers and the nuthatches. There is a wide variety of woodpeckers and a huge extended family of mourning doves.  An occasional blackbird stops by, the robins romp about, and we are always excited to see a Baltimore Oriole hang out for a while.

baltimore oriole

We sure love our winged wanderers and welcome them with wonderment.

I hope you enjoyed this little glimpse before you fly away to go about your day.

female grosbeak in flight

Cherish the moments!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

PS – If you too flock to the flight of fledglings, check out my blogging friend, Kathy’s site: Backyard Bird Nerd.  Kathy regularly posts photos of the birds that are lucky enough to call her backyard home.

Who Needs an Office with a Window?

/ Jodi / 40 Comments

…when you are fortunate enough to work from a home office.

I often start out early in the morning on the back deck where the morning sun is bright and warm.

home office back deck

But when it gets too hot there, I move to the side porch for some shade,

home office side porch

or the front porch to swing a bit while typing.

home office front porch

Sometimes it’s necessary to work in THE actual home office…

home office

but I also might sit at the kitchen table,

home office kitchen table

or more often stand at the kitchen counter,

home office kitchen counter

or even curl up on the couch.

home office couch

And though I so terribly miss my little four-legged co-worker, buddy, and pal, Mikey who was constantly by my side,

Mikey and the ice

many of you have asked about our new neighbor, the baby cardinal.

baby cardinal day 2

Well – she visits often.  She has learned to eat from the feeders and is growing fast.

baby girl cardinal growing up
Isn’t she cute?!

She hangs out with the menagerie of other cardinals, goldfinches, grosbeaks, woodpeckers, orioles, and all the others that flutter about in our backyard.

So who needs an office with a window – eh?

I am so fortunate to have my office at home tweet home.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

(Some of you commented about enjoying my “behind the scenes” photo the other day, so I thought you might enjoy a few more behind the scene photos.)

Family Teamwork Raising Baby Cardinal

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

The circle of life goes on.

Monday was one of the saddest days I’ve had since I began blogging.

But at the same time we experienced a great loss in our family, we also have the joy of watching this sweet little family that built their nest right outside our bedroom window.

Don’t you love the teamwork?!  (I hope you enlarge to watch this “riveting” video in full screen).

Baby cardinal was 8 days old here.  When Momma didn’t have anything for her to eat….

Poppa to the rescue!  What do you think that green thing is???

And did you see how quickly it went through Baby?  LOL!

How many more days till Baby flies the coop?

As you might have noticed, Baby is an only child.  There is still a lonely little egg in the nest that just doesn’t seem like it is going to hatch.

The circle of life.

It is a beautiful, sad, happy, joy-filled experience.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi