Mud Bird on the Deck Rail - Sparrow in the Sun by Roxanne Steed

4"x4" oil on gessoed masonite archival panel

"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn."
- Henry David Thoreau


It's funny where & when ideas show up that excite us visually as artists....and the connection from them to other ideas we've been mulling over. Eating my lunch yesterday at the dining room table, I was gazing out at the deck to watch the birds eat their lunch at the feeder outside, when this little sparrow lands on the deck railing perhaps to look at the line up to the feeder? The sun was brilliant outside and just caught her in such wonderful light, it reminded me of the '100 Mud-Heads' project that Frank Gardner is working on, inspired by Charles Hawthorne's Mud Head paintings. I've been wanting to recruit some of my neighbors for a mud-head project of my own, but this little bird in the brilliant sun light made me put down my sandwich and grab a pen. An envelope on the table in front of me was the closet piece of paper. As long as the bird stood on the deck, I would sketch him. They were like quick gesture drawings, and I was enchanted by her poses.

Painting is unframed, a perfect little size to place nearby on a shelf. Price includes shipping/insurance to continental US. Please visit my DailyPainters.com store to purchase.