Untapped Potential
Bird eggs are full of potential. In the most elegant and simple form, they remind us of new beginnings, of possibilities. Surrounding them, of course, is the tangled mess. Sometimes, great things hatch, sometimes not. In this case, the adult robins disappeared, leaving these three eggs behind. In discovering them, I suppose, the untapped potential passed to me. If not in life, then in art, the birds’ legacy lives on.
Drawn In 
this nest and eggs, a meditation in lovely-ness!…what a lovely way to start a sunny Sunday in Calif…thank you for always making my artday…
love this painting
Have to ask – did you use a pen and ink here for the lines
Hi Maureen- yes, I started with a dip pen and ink, but used a Micron for some finer details. The ink seemed pretty heavy.
Thanks, I should have taken more notice of the tags! Ink can be overwhelming
Such lovely art, and lovely thoughts too! Thanks Jean!
Thanks much!
Bird nests always facinate me – yours is exceptional!! 🐥
I like the redstart nest better…the robin seemed to take forever. But that was also because I took up paining my kitchen at the same time!
I seem to have that problem too – I start so many projects and then I wonder why it is hard to finish them all! Lol! 😄
I love your birds nest – I can’t imagine where you begin to draw the complicated tangle of twigs that make up the nest… !
I start with the basic shape Evelyn and keep the weave very loose. I work the whole nest at once in the beginning and then go back and define the individual grasses and twigs. There is a lot of untangling to be done in the process!
Beautiful! I love the simple beauty. I collect bird nests…. but sketching them….I don’t do so great. I love your renditions. And your stories that go with them. Thanx for sharing.
Glad you enjoy them Erica. I love seeing the great variation of materials and nesting strategies…and the complexity of trying to render nests.
You are the birds nest queen, Jean! I am in awe of your nest sketches. I haven’t gotten up the nerve to try drawing and painting one yet, but each time you post one I feel a great desire to give it a go. Have you ever tried using masking fluid to save some of the light strands when you start adding darker values? I keep mulling over the idea of trying that.
Hi Leslie- I have tried masking, but it’s hard to find a brush or tool small enough (or that I’m willing to sacrifice) to save the lights. I’ve tried using dip pen nibs and sharpened q-tips, but the flow is limited. It would be worth experimenting with it for sure. You could do multiple layers light to dark and save lighter strands instead of working around them. I suspect the best approach would be a compromise– masking just a few strands on the edge of the nest. I’m trying to figure out how to do a nest with lost edges. I want a more etherial effect, but haven’t quite figured it out yet. Happy painting!
Exquisite!
This painting does express that potential – i think the light you have on the eggs sort of beams the message out there! 😉
Thanks Lynn!
Thank you! I love “untapped potential”.. and your work! Jody
Thanks Jodi- glad you had a chance to poke around here!
So beautiful! 🙂