From the Collection
I’m taking advantage of bitterly cold days to paint a few bird nests that I’ve wanted to spend time with from the collection of the New York State Museum in Albany. Maybe that seems like an odd thing—spending time with a bird nest—but I find that when I am doing a detailed drawing and painting like this, I can’t help but think about the bird that made it, the young that fledged from it, the materials it is made of, the weather it survived, and the person who collected it. In this case, the solitary vireo and its offspring are but an echo across generations of birds. But here is this gem, beautifully decorated with strips of birch bark, lichen, paper wasp nest, and soft plant fibers, and here I am, happy to bring into the light once again.
Tips & Techniques- Drawn in ink with a Micron 005 pen and painted in watercolor with a touch of white gouache on New York Central Art Supply 140lb, hot pressed, 100% cotton watercolor paper. I bought a block of this paper from Jerry’s Artarama after being given a sample pack. I find texture and absorbency of this paper are a dream to work on. If you’ve struggled with other hot press papers, you might try this one.
Drawn In 
How lovely! And on New York Central watercolor paper, too! So
nostalgic for this old bird who used to ride “the 4:40” (aka The Hendrick Hudson) from Grand Central to Rhinecliff every Friday in the late ’50s…
That’s a scenic train ride, especially when you get a seat facing the Hudson River. I bet getting out of the city on a Friday was a nice routine.
Beautiful, as always, and thanks for the tip about the paper! Stay warm.
Thanks! I have another nest or two to last me while the cold hangs in.
Jean, the detail line drawing and painting techniques to create depth and form is an inspiring piece of art.
I would like to attempt to draw it, wouldn’t know where to begin!
Good to know about trying a different brand of water color paper. Thank you .
Thank you Nancy. If you’ve tried hot press paper and didn’t like it much, you might try this brand. I find it quite lovely to work on.
Your bird nest drawings are all so wonderful! So complex, I would get lost as to which bit I’m looking at, let alone drawing….
Thanks Sue. There is a lot going on in a nest like list, but fortunately, there are some “guiding” strands that stand out and that I can use to decipher what’s happening with the structure.
Beautiful work!
Thank you!
So sympathetic and nuanced – just lovely!
Thanks much!
Any time spent with any bird nest isn’t odd in the least little bit! This one, as are all your nests, is positively brilliant Jean! You are a master at beautifully weaving, threading and placing grasses and soft fibers …… placing bark, lichens, moss and – yikes – a paper wasp nest! I never get tired exploring your nest creations. Ummmmmmmm …… is that a fork? !!! Thx for sharing.
No fork. Just lots and lots of bark strips. I loved the way they curled in the nest.
Awesome!
That is a beautiful nest ands it is so interesting and different from most others! Thanks for sharing it with us! See you tomorrow!
Georgia Ratcliffe gratcliffe4@mac.com
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Dear Jean, I always appreciate your prose as well as your sketching; this was no exception. Thank you for sharing. Judy
Yay! So glad your comment came through! Thanks.