Patricia Warfield. Birds & Nests. J. Russell Jinishian Gallery, Inc.

Birds of the Northeast
Bird Watching! Who watches Birds? People who have nothing better to do: Get a Life!

Well yeah, I watched and painted crows for over 2 years. But they aren’t like birds, they’re fascinating, they are another species unto themselves!

However, after painting a series of 3 large ‘9/11’ paintings and not having the energy to start the 4th, I was having coffee watching the birds at the birdfeeder and thought “They really are pretty, they’re all different, and such a variety of songs. Ah! There’s a woodpecker…” and then I started… First with pencil, then I thought their different colors and patterns are really what separate them from each other. They move so quickly, how could I do them in color? I started with pastels (which I use a lot and love), but not fast enough — watercolors (not my favorite medium) but a lot faster than pastels or oils.

So instead of using photos, I sat at the window for hours, brush in hand, just to capture very short glimpses and get their movement down on paper. People travel the world never realizing the variety and beauty of birds in their own backyard. That’s how my bird-watching experience began; now I’m hooked.

Nests
A few years ago we bought this small house in Maine. It’s in a little lobster town which in the winter has 600 residents. The prior owners left a beautiful Robin’s nest on the front porch for us. So perfectly made – grasses and straw on the outside with clay on the inside.

A few years later as I was working on the bird paintings I thought it would be fun to paint some nests. But where to find them?

Eventually I spoke to our wonderful landscaper, Steve, about keeping his eyes open for any nests he might see in Black Rock and the nests started arriving! I would find them at my doorstep from Steve and soon, friends would bring them to me. I must have 40 or more nests by now. The hardest one to paint has been the dove’s nest. It’s so flat but made of layers of twigs. It’s hard to give it depth. The most fascinating nest so far has been the oriole’s. Such a sculpture – it’s a weaving in itself. Each type of bird builds its own unique type of nest. Really Amazing. So as I work I am very aware that I’m painting sculptures! I like that idea!

Painting Title	Medium	Price
Oriole Nest	Oil	$3,000
House of Thorns	Oil	$3,500
Dove Nest	Oil	$2,500
Bridgeport Nest	Oil	$2,500
Mouse Nest in Bird’s Nest in Drawer	Oil	$2,000
Small Nest	Oil	$ 750
The Golden Nest	Oil	$3,000
The Hideaway	Oil	$5,500
Twins	Oil	$2,500
Cat Bird in Nest on Pyre	Oil	$2,500
Night & Day	Charcoal	$3,000
As the Crow Flies	India Ink/Brush	$3,000
Duet	India Ink/Brush	$3,000
Study of Cat Bird & Starling	Watercolor	$ 400
Study of Parrots Eating Suet with Grackle & Starling	Watercolor	$ 900
Study of Cat Bird, Tufted Tit Mouse, Chickadee	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of Sparrows & Parts	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of Parrot Head & Cat Bird Head, 2 Baby Sparrows – Grackle	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of Parrot in Middle, Cat Birds Grackles & Head of a Woodpecker	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of 3 Babies & 1 Sparrow	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of 1 Sparrow, 1 Baby & 2 Cat Birds	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of 2 Parrots, 1 Cat Bird, & Woodpecker Heads	Watercolor	$ 900
Study of 2 Grackles & 2 Sparrows	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of Nest with Cracked Egg	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of Red-Winged Black Bird & 2 Cat Birds	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of 2 Sparrows, Parrot Head, Cat Bird	Watercolor	$ 500
Study of 1 Grackle	Watercolor	$ 300
Study of Nest in Tree Branch	Watercolor	$ 400
Study of 2 Wren Nests & Birds	Watercolor	$ 900
The Messenger	Fiber Sculpture	$15,000
Tree of Life	Oil	$ 9,500
The Three Graces	India Ink /Brush	$4,500
Run River, Run	Oil	$2,500
Nature’s Sonnet	Oil	$5,000

J. Russell Jinishian Gallery, Inc.
Historic Bonney Building
1657 Post Road, Fairfield, Connecticut 06824
Telephone: 203.259.8753 . Fax: 203.259.8761 . Email: rjinishian@optonline.net

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