It’s no April Fool’s joke that Spring Into Art Open Studio is happening 21 days from now, on Earth Day. It’s been a challenge to keep my new series Hummingbird Sanctuary a secret until this time. Since February I have been enchanted to paint eight hummingbird species, showing the male and female of each. The birds were painted on the beautiful Saunders Waterford cold press paper, with the background on heavier Twinrocker paper. There is one large work also that I began in November. There is a small detail of it in the middle of the grid below. These paintings have subtleties that are best seen in person. Meanwhile, I have started on another series of hummingbirds shown actual size in a stationary posture. You will see them as works in progress (unless I finish them!). They are tiny creatures of joy and harassment!
9 details of new art, “Hummingbird Sanctuary” and “Tiny Treasure Boxes” by Kathleen O’Brien
Speaking of tiny, see Tiny Treasure Boxes for the first time. There are only six of them ranging in size from four inch square to 6×10 inches, reborn from candy boxes. I went into detail about them in a post. One comment was “you have filled them with fascination!”. I love that! In the back of my mind as I was constructing them was that they would make great zero calorie gifts for Mother’s Day.
People who have come to the open studios know that I strive to have new things to show. To that end, you can see the latest rare bead jewelry and three new card sets. Also, I am going to bring out a few series that haven’t been shown in years, Nine White Flowers, 16 American Song Birds and Walnut Ink Drawings.
“Talisman for Riders”, one of the new necklaces at the open studio
Hummingbird Sanctuary Card Set 1 by Kathleen O’Brien
We’ll be serving Greg’s famous sourdough bread with our favorite San Francisco coffee. Let’s hope for fair weather so folks can walk the trails and enjoy the quiet of the land, on Earth Day.
Addendum added April 14: I was able to finish eight watercolor paintings of single hummingbirds in stationary poses, in actual size in time for the event. I was surprised to find examples that were somewhat large, and also very small. Each is painted on Saunders Waterford 300 lb. paper, 6×4″.
Hummingbird Joy, Crowned Woodnymph, watercolor by Kathleen O’Brien