of birds, spring and studios

I love birds. They are an endless source of beauty and inspiration. I love to use them in my art, so I take the opportunity to photograph them whenever I can. This little woodpecker was watching me as I took a walk in the botanical gardens a few weeks back. He stayed still while I took several shots, gazing calmly out at me from his perch in the tree. He will be part of a future art work. I altered this photo in Photoshop to make it look more "painterly".

Speaking of which, the studio is progressing nicely. We got the floor almost completely laid yesterday, and tomorrow are heading off to get more supplies. I think I'm going to build simple tables that will custom fit into the space rather than buy premade tables. I need to do a bit of price shopping and see which option is more cost-effective.

I can tell spring is here because I'm so fired up to do projects around the house, get things done and brighten everything up. And I'm seeing that other people are feeling the same. Jane Wynn, a wonderful artist and jeweler, is redoing her studio as well. I was perusing her wonderful blog today - check it out! It's nice to know that we are all moved together by the rhythms of the seasons. Of course I'm also motivated by the fact that I can't do anything artistically other than simple drawings until I get that room back together. So; back to it!