Personal Art Blog

Sharing the lessons I teach at the Artist Guild and the personal discoveries in my art.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Cactus Wrens



Cactus Wrens
6x8in oil on canvas panel NFS

Artist Note.

I decided to keep this one.

The Cactus Wren is a 
favorite of 
mine. 
Hard to spot with their 
very effective camouflage
markings when they are
in the desert and nest.

Did you know they mate for life?
Their beak is long for a reason,
they can be quite aggressive,
but the ones I have visit me
are models
of decorum with the other birds
at the feeders.

Happy St Patrick's Day!!
Look what I will be wearing.
A gift from a good friend.
She knows I love fun socks.
Thank you, Gail!



29 comments:

  1. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Love the socks...I have a pair floating around somewhere. I should find them. The cactus wren painting is lovely...super texture. How do you attract such lovely creatures?

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    1. Hi Joan - hope you find your socks!
      Pleased you like the painting - thank you.
      Lucky you having a model to paint. I love her blue eyes.

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  2. hi Julie,
    Love your cactus wrens, I didn't even know there was such a bird...we only see house wrens around my neck of the woods, but they have a sweet song, and they inhabited my little green birdhouse last year outside the kitchen window, so I got to see them coming and going, it was lovely.

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    1. I agree - house wrens are so sweet. They are almost half the size of the cactus wren. I have several bird feeders filled with different goodies to attract all types of birds. Just like you I enjoy seeing them coming and going.
      I enjoyed seeing how beautifully you handle painting white, Sally. I can tell you really like white flowers!

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  3. Great socks and, painting Julie. Your cactus wrens are beautifully captured. You may just qualify as a sideline camouflage artist should you need another job, smiles.

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    1. LOL... I would qualify wouldn't I? Delighted to see a lovely new painting.
      The colors are especially beautiful in the water.

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  4. I'm not surprised you don't want to part with these little wrens. There's so much to enjoy in this beautifully-composed vignette. The textures are delectible, and the wrens look downright cheeky. Birds are such a delight to watch and share our gardens with, aren't they?

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    1. Hi Helene, They do hold their own and are immensely protective of their nests. I love their spotted chest and barred tail feathers. neat! Thanks for such a lovely comment.
      Many congrats again over the well deserved award and your demo painting proved you deserved it.

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  5. Those are some very awesome socks!

    We have a lot of these little birds also. They are fun to watch. Your pair just looks so sweet. Hard to believe that they would be aggressive but I am sure they do what they need to do to make things work:)

    The birds, nest and foliage all have a lovely "swirly" quality. Perfect for my idea of these birds always sort of being in motion!

    Libby

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    1. Good to hear from you Libby. The swirly quality was deliberate. I tried to see if I could have one almost disappearing with the camouflage effect. They are not small birds. About 7"-8". Large for wrens. I love the fact they mate for life.
      You have some good sketches on your new post but the question you raised was fascinating. I am staying tuned!!!

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  6. Wonderful, Julie! Cactus Wrens are such a favorite of mine! In the Spring and Summer we wake up to their "song." You have such a way with texture both visually and physically. An amazing painting!

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    1. Yes- you will know what this is. In fact it is your state bird in Ariizona. We both live in similar terrain even though the name Green Valley is a bit of a clever disguise. Thanks love for the nice compliment.

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  7. Never heard of a cactus wren and they have some great camo which you captured beautifully. Loved learning about them! Thanks

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    1. Hi Sharon. All wrens are definitely not the same and before I moved here the ones I saw were a lot smaller than these. Thanks for popping by.

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  8. Happy St Pat's Day to you too Julie :) I'm really enjoying seeing all the new birds that I didn't even know about, lovely little painting as always :)ps. I'm still working on projects but I am so slow :)

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  9. LOVE this painting Julie...Beautiful colors and these Cactus Wrens have amazing patterns.. Nice work. I hope you had a wonderful day...

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    1. Thanks so much Hilda. Glad you noticed the patterns.
      My day was great. Hope your was too..

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  10. Beautifully composed painting and I love the story of the birds.I am not familiar with them.The streak pattern in the front of the bird is beautiful! I have a weakness for funny socks too.I love yours, Happy St. Patrick's day!

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    1. Thank you Celia.
      I really admired your pincushion with the sewing accessories...and loved the buttons! I wonder if the young ones today are being taught to sow?
      Nice we share a fondness for funky socks!

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  11. Beautiful job handling the camouflage-ness of the bird while still standing out so nicely. Oh, and nice socks, too!

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    1. I appreciate your visit. The camouflage was something I worked at and tried to make the other bird less noticeable on purpose.
      You are a fabulous painter - I love your floral.

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  12. Fun painting. I can see why you are keeping it. I feed the birds every day. So much fun to watch.....

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    1. I agree - so much fun to watch. Glad to know we share the same pleasure.

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  13. love the socks! :D

    another lovely bird painting :D

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    1. Thanks Jen. Like your sketch of the medical alert
      Bummer about the allergy to latex. It is in so many things.

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    2. more things then I thought it would be in, even somethings where it doesn't need to be. never thought I would need to check if a mattress was latex free before. and its not just latex I am allergic too, its any type of adhesive :/ I've tried the latex free band aids but still break out in hives. I usually just grab a towel to cover a cut if it happens but thank you for the offer to send latex free bandages :)

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  14. It beats me how you keep turning out these fantastic paintings, Julie. You make it difficult for me to have a favourite.

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  15. Julie I can see why you wouldn't want to part with this one. Your cactus wrens appear to be larger than ours. Makes me wonder if our little ones here mate for life too?? As for those fun socks - wow.
    What a super gift and they sure look good on you friend. Hugs!

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I love that you are taking the time to comment and thank you for it. I am sure other readers will enjoy them too. If you cannot comment through this format then email me at juliefordoliver@gmail.com
Cheers,
Julie