Nuthatch Painted Box

I just love to paint! It's a passion I've had since 4th grade. It all started when I came home one day and my mother was busy painting a picture of a tree that was in our backyard. I had never seen her paint before and was so surprised how beautiful her painting was! It was at that moment I decided I would learn how to paint too! I have great memories of the days a group of us took lessons with a woman in town. We would sit in her wonderful solarium, paint and chit chat with each other! We all learned alot over those years - our teacher was wonderful and very patient!!

After high school,  it had been years before I had time to break out my brushes again. I had my own children this time! My problem is that I love to create in many different ways. I shouldn't call it a problem, or an addiction, but I need to always be creating something --- reading many of your profiles I think many of you are the same way!! So inorder to do one thing, I have to put aside another and that's what happened to my painting.

 As I watched the birds in my backyard explore our new pond, stop for a snack at the newly filled feeders and bathe in the bird bath, I got this urge to paint them! Luckily I had an unfinished box to paint on! 

I love to make my boxes look old with several steps of painting, appying crackle medium and sanding. There are quite a few steps I have to go through before I can actually paint, but its worth it for the look I wanted to achieve.

I decided to paint this little Nuthatch! They amaze me at how they climb down my large Tulip tree head first! I hope to take a little time this fall to create a small series of boxes featuring birds.  I just  listed this box on my Etsy and Artfire Shops. http://www.tkdesigns.etsy.com/

http://www.artfire.com/TKDesigns

I also will be painting my second series of Winter birds for my Christmas ornament collection.