Two more finished, that makes four full-sized maps

Today I finished the kingfisher map. I’m really pleased with the way this turned out, but I used chalk pastels to deepen the blues, (because the watercolours are just so insipid sometimes!), and now have to find my Krylon spray to fix the pastels before I can fold it up or do anything else with it.

I stuck it up on the mantle; which is looking a little less autumnal and a little more wintery. I’m so bad about all this “must-decorate-the-living-daylights-out-of-the-house-for-the-next-holiday” frenzy I see out there in blogland…but I love it…and more power to you guys!…I’m just not that dedicated and tend to put the kinds of elements together which make me happy with my space.

Right now this includes the angel I painted after grandma died, old photos of my children, a naive painting from the flea market, a thrifted mirror from some vintage bureau, and my English elephant with a new whale ornament hanging from his trunk…why not? (Did I ever tell you I’m addicted to glass ornaments?) 🙂

I love the kingfishers! Wish I could see more of them at the Thames, but I’ve really only seen them a hand full of times over these past 10 or so years at our neck of the Thames…but then, I don’t really take the time to belong to and walk out with a British birding society and really only rely on chance. But that flash of blue…it’s just magical.

Here is a close up of the two birds:

I also put the finishing touches on the nuthatches…I think.

That’s the trick, isn’t it? I was just thinking the other day how many times I avoid signing a painting. To me signing is declaring that the painting is finished. Which artist was it who said something like, “easy to start a painting and hard to know when it’s finished.” EXACTLY!!! I’m still not quite happy with the left wing.

But love the descending nuthatch and the blue bells.

So here they are on the fireplace mantle…really my most favourite spot to prop new works, and I’ll walk away form them this evening and come back to them in the morning light and reevaluate them for the millionth time. 🙂

Now what to do next? I have a started map with a red tailed hawk diving down over a particularly unattractive and industrial part of England. Maybe I’ll work on that, but yesterday I felt like painting some British birds called blue tits. Seriously…and they say it with a straight face in an almost “I’m so sorry, it’s not my fault” way. Anyway, felt like it so I looked them up in my field guides and then went on google images and googled “English bird tit” OMG!!! Don’t ever do that!!! Just a warning. 😯