Feeding the Birds

My husband and I agreed that it was time to stop feeding the birds.  I've seen numerous posts on the internet about the increasing cost of bird food. Without expensive seed like Niger, I was mostly feeding sparrows and chickadees, magpies and a few quail and in spring, a duck family.

So last spring, I decided to quit at a time when they could find their own but they never went away.  They sat out in the hedge calling and cheeping. What could I do? I had some cereal no one wanted to eat, one of those healthy ones that tastes like bird food.  They loved it.  Then I had some stale wholegrain bread and healthy muffins with peanut butter, a little bit of oatmeal, stale raisin bran, 9 grain cereal.  The magpies came by so I added fat scraps from the ham and leftovers.  Nothing like seeing a magpie try to balance on a line with half a muffin in his beak or a couple strings of spaghetti.

 

As cold weather arrived, I realized the birds weren't going anywhere so I went to the farm supply and asked what the cheapest edible food they had.  The cashier laughed and said chick scratch.  She said a lot of people feeding birds were switching since it was cheaper.  It's a mixture of chopped corn and wheat, half the price of sunflower seed and with absolutely no waste.

I've been feeding it for two months now and I think I have every sparrow in the neighborhood including a few song sparrows.  The flock of California quail has tripled and I don't think they'd leave the yard except for the neighborhood cat.  The magpie family is up to 8 or 9 now and they call if I forget to put it out or sleep in.

The good news is I've cut down my cost of feeding the birds to about half and am recycling leftovers too

Interview with Judy Adamson

Judy interviews artists on her blog all the time but no one had interviewed her. See my last post for more of her images.

I grew up in the Isle of Wight, which may explain why I love to paint boats, but I’ve lived in various other parts of the UK before moving to Wales, nearly ten years ago. Part of the attraction of living in Wales is the wonderful mountain scenery but I’ve painted the local Meadows more than anything else, and I think this is because I also loved the flat landscape of parts of Norfolk, where I lived previously.

1.When did you begin to be interested in Art?
I grew up with four much older sisters and two older brothers and most of them drew and painted to some extent. So some of my earliest memories are of one of my sisters, who was a schoolteacher, teaching me to read and drawing little pictures to illustrate the letters of the alphabet. Drawing just seemed to be the natural thing to do in my family, though I can’t remember either of my parents drawing.

2. Has anyone in particular encouraged you?
Yes, in fact my mother always encouraged me to draw on any scraps of paper that were to hand. Although there was very little spare money around in such a large family, she bought me some little books that I still have today, one about the Impressionists and one about Renoir.

My art teacher at the boarding school I attended from 11 – 18 was also very encouraging, though I got my second lowest mark for Art in the exams we took at 16 – I hated drawing balls of string and wilting philadelphus flowers pinned to our drawing boards on a hot summer’s afternoon!

3. Have you done formal Art Training?
No, I’m afraid my mother’s encouragement didn’t stretch that far! I very much wanted to train to be a ‘commercial artist’ but my parents believed that Art Schools were full of ‘Beatniks’ (this was the early Sixties!) so I did a degree in Modern Languages instead.

I’ve been to various Adult Education classes but the only ones I really benefited from were the Life Drawing class and the Art and Design class at Wensum Lodge, when we lived in Norwich. Even then, it was more the encouraging, free atmosphere, with expert advice on hand, that taught me more than the formal parts of the lessons.

4. What is the most important thing you've learned from experience, or other people?
Probably the most important thing is not to worry about my art! I used to fret about whether I was doing it right – because I hadn’t had the Art School training. A neighbour who had trained at the Slade and later taught Art, got sick of me pestering her with questions and told me ‘there ain’t no knitting pattern, gel!’ – she also held some of my watercolour landscapes under a running tap and much improved them!!!!


5. Who is your favourite artist and why?
I’ve loved Cezanne’s work http://www.paul-cezanne.org/ since I was quite young, difficult to say why but it just seemed ‘right’.
More recently I’ve developed a liking for Paul Klee http://www.worldgallery.co.uk/gallery/Paul-Klee-1.html?affiliate_id=3000&keyword=Klee&gclid=CJLqiuTNn6wCFRRc4QodGDCR-g,  C.R. Mackintosh  http://www.worldgallery.co.uk/gallery/Rennie-Mackintosh-1.html?affiliate_id=3000&keyword=Mackintosh&gclid=CIr_ztbQn6wCFYEZ4QodOzpc_ Q Gaugin  http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/paul-gauguin.html/&pid=UK999?gclid=CJyf7vXOn6wCFRRc4QodGDCR-g and Degas http://www.myartprints.co.uk/a/edgar-degas.html&mpos=1003   and when it comes to illustrators, Quentin Blake  http://www.quentinblake.com/ and Ezra Jack Keats http://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/ have to be my favourites. On the other hand, there are far too many artists and illustrators whose work I enjoy to give a full list but I find myself still very much drawn to the Impressionists – maybe something to do with those little books my mother bought me when I was still a child?

6. Do you paint regularly?
I try to but it doesn’t always work! Sometimes the need to paint or creating a design overwhelms me and I take time out when I should be doing other things but it also happens the other way around with tedious chores crowding out my painting time.

Roughly how much time do you spend painting? Nowhere near as much as I would like! I’m often lucky if I can get an afternoon a week – and that’s at the expense of having a social life!

7. Do you paint fast or slowly and meticulously?
When I paint my soft pastel paintings, I work very fast, usually completing one in the time it takes to play a CD – about 45 mins. If I go on longer, I tend to ruin what I’ve done.

But I’ve had to adapt to working more slowly and meticulously for some of my greeting card designs. For one thing, there’s usually a lot more small-scale detail than in my pastel paintings. But also, there are considerations like waiting for the paint to dry!

8. What is your favourite medium?
For my own use, soft pastels or oil pastels, both of which I love using because there’s no mixing or changing paintbrushes involved, all of which tends to interrupt my ‘flow’. Recently I’ve enjoyed making ‘painted paper collages’ as greeting card designs. But I am tremendously attracted to other people’s watercolour paintings, especially if they’ve succeeded in achieving a transparent, fluid effect.

9. What subject matter draws you to paint it?
I seem to have painted a lot of landscapes and flowers but it’s more the composition of shapes and colours that attracts me so that could be anything at all, if the composition seems to ‘sit right’ for me.

10. Do you paint from photos, sketches, memory, en plein air?
I rarely, if ever, paint ‘en plein air’ these days; my scary encounter with some deer who crept up behind me and tried to eat my watercolour tubes really put me off! So a digital camera has become my sketchbook these days. On the other hand, I do a lot of greeting card designs from my imagination, just using reference photos on the internet to check things like anatomy occasionally, particularly if animals are involved. It’s so easy to think that we all know exactly what a squirrel, for instance, looks like, but when it comes down to it, I need reminders of things like the shape of its head, the position of its ears and so on. Maybe this is because I don’t have a very good visual memory.

11. Where do you sell your work?
I have sold my original pastel paintings and prints through solo exhibitions in the past. But I think the Art Teacher who told me that I’m a designer rather than a fine artist was right – I’m far more interested in designing greeting cards and using my designs on other products these days. So I sell my greeting cards through Greeting Card Universe, http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/judyscardstore CardGnome http://www.cardgnome.com/shops/flutterby-designs and, more recently, SendaSmile, http://flutterbydesigns.sendasmile.com/ as well as Zazzle. http://www.zazzle.co.uk/helikettle* I also sell my greeting cards in local shops but getting a price for the printing that makes sense is difficult so I don’t spend too much time on that. A few of my pastel paintings are available as prints on Red Bubble http://www.redbubble.com/people/helikettle/portfolio and Fine Art America. http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/judy-adamson.html

12.How do you feel about parting with your originals when someone buys them?
I hate it and feel compelled to make sure that my painting is going to ‘a good home’!

13. Do you or have you ever painted to commission?
I have occasionally tried to paint things specifically for a friend, such as a painting of their house. But I didn’t enjoy it much. On the other hand, I sometimes find it useful to have a ‘Design Brief’ as a starting point for a greeting card design. How I interpret that brief is sufficient freedom for me and I’m glad of the parameters the brief gives as it gives me something to focus on.

14. Do you have any particular future plans or projects in mind?
Or where do you foresee your artistic journey taking you? I would really love to see my greeting cards sold widely in shops, I don’t have enough time to embark on self-publishing in anything but a very small way, which doesn’t make much sense financially. So the only route open to me would be if a publisher licensed some of my designs. In 2009 I had a ‘near miss’, with the publisher pulling out because of the economic downturn, after several months of keen interest,. I’m planning to create some new designs to submit to publishers after Christmas, not expecting too much as it’s such a highly competitive business and publishers themselves are feeling the pinch. But even if I don’t succeed, I look upon this as a way to keep my designing up to a high standard.

Featured Artist - Judy Adamson

Judy Adamson was one of the first people I met when I started creating art for Zazzle.
 We became friends online and although she lives in Wales we discovered that we had a lot in common.  She has encouraged me many times when I was ready to give up and I'm grateful for her friendship.
She  features other artists on her blog http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/ and I would like to repay her kindness by showing you a collection of her beautiful art. 

This is her store at Zazzle http://www.zazzle.com/helikettle#
She also has stores at:http://www.cardgnome.com/shops/flutterby-designs  Card Gnome   and
Greeting Card Universe http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/judyscardstore?gcu=43752923941&mid=cwu

Very Pretty Floral Blackberry Curve Case by helikettle
Make your own samsung galaxy cases

65th Birthday Card - Red Geraniums by helikettle
Browse other Birthday Cards

Sweet Pea Ringer Mug by helikettle
See more Ringer Mugs

She also does wonderful character paintings
 

Gone fishin' White T-shirt by helikettle
Browse other t-shirt designs made on zazzle.com

"The Life in Your Years" Birthday Card for a Man by helikettle
Learn how to make money as an artist online at Zazzle.

'Red Hats' Birthday Card by helikettle
Join Zazzle.com's greeting card affiliate program

'Good Luck, We'll Miss You!' Card by helikettle
View other Good luck Cards

Toddler T-shirt with Chinese Dragon and Lantern by helikettle
Become a shirt affiliate at zazzle.com

Cat Notecard - Just to say... by helikettle
More Cat Cards

'Foal' Birthday Card by helikettle
Join one of the biggest artist affiliate programs

Birthday Card for a Grandpa - Algarve Fishing Boat by helikettle
See other greeting card templates on zazzle.com

50th Birthday Card - Evening in the Meadows by helikettle
Create a notecard template at zazzle

Magnet with Quote by helikettle
Browse Woman Magnets

Poppies Magnet - Friendship by helikettle
Start selling my art online with zazzle.

George Eliot Quote Bookmark by helikettle
View other Bookmark Business Cards

Magnet Retirement by helikettle
Join Zazzle.com's artist affiliate program

Christmas Angels Card by helikettle
Create a greeting card online

This is just a small sample of the many hundreds of items available by this incredibly versatile artist.

.

A True Halloween Horror Story

While reading Fiona's beautiful blog http://raindropsanddaisys.blogspot.com/      I spotted a plant with an orange berry that I have been trying to name for a while.  I did a search on Google and found  a perfect Halloween horror story. 

Oriental Bittersweet, often used to decorate at Halloween is a true horror story.  It was originally introduced into the USA in 1860 as a more robust replacement for the native American Bittersweet. 

Often planted under a tree, it engulfs the poor thing by wrapping so tightly around, that it strangles them.  At the same time, the vine's massive crown of leaves shades its host and robs the plant of light.  If the tree isn't dead from lack of light and being closed off from food and water, the vine grows so huge its weight will eventually topple a smaller tree.  It's berries are much brighter red making it more attractive to birds so they will choose them over the American Bittersweet and then spread the plant when they drop the seed usually while sitting on a tree branch therefore dooming another tree to certain death.  Unfortunately, because of it's beauty, it is still being planted.

Here's an image of it from CarolsCamera on Zazzle.  She got a good close up of it.

Bittersweet Vine Berries Items by CarolsCamera
Create a full color post card on Zazzle

Once I recognized it I was surprised to remember that even I thought it was pretty and had used it in a painting from last year

Black Capped Chickadee, Bittersweet, Fridge Magnet by countrymousestudio
Sell art online at Zazzle.

The pumpkin image above is from www.stylehive.com  

Autumn Chickadees & Owls

Thanks to Jean at http://jean-livingsimple.blogspot.com/ I have been enjoying the contest https://apps.facebook.com/birdingthenet/ to find birds. It's great fun but not too conducive to getting work done.

We've finally had enough cold weather to turn the leaves in some areas and I still haven't had any luck getting out to view nature so I have no photos just some Autumn art:

Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Chickadee, Bird by countrymousestudio
Shop for another gift box
Who doesn't love a Chickadee?

Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Chickadee, Bird by countrymousestudio
Design your own iphone cases

Or an owl

Autumn, Fall, Watercolor Owl, Bird by countrymousestudio
View other ipod touch cases

Autumn Foliage, Watercolor Owl, Wildlife by countrymousestudio
Design your own photo tile on Zazzle.

A Kid's View of Birds

When my daughter was 5 or 6 years old we lived in an area where Junco's would
come by the bird feeder.

Somehow, she couldn't remember their name but always called them
the Executioner bird because she though their black hood looked
like the one they wore.
This image comes from Arthur's Occupation Clip Art



I do recall trying to figure out where she learned what an executioner looked like. I couldn't remember any kids books or tv shows that had them but she apparently had seen one and it stuck in her mind.

So here is an Executioner Bird or a Junco

Chilly Little Junco, Bird by countrymousestudio


She grew up and moved away but in the middle of a phone conversation we were discussing the birds that were coming to her own feeder and she excited told me that she now has her own Executioner birds ( still couldn't remember their name), but at least she had learned about birds and cared enough to feed them. So really what's in a name?

Chilly Little Junco, Watercolor Nature Bird by countrymousestudio
Browse zazzle for a different t-shirt.zazzle

Chilly Little Junco, Watercolor Nature Bird by countrymousestudio

Chilly Little Junco, Watercolor Nature Bird by countrymousestudio
Make a travel coffee mug with Zazzle