Robin Song ... and Future Robins

Robin Song

Future Robins

I've been enjoying the activity of the birds this spring, as we have had an early spring in terms of snow melt, so that the robins have been busy yanking worms out of the ground and singing their pretty songs throughout the day. I was watching a robin hop from branch to branch today, looking for the perfect spot to build her nest. I wonder what goes into the final decision ... especially since there are no leaves on the trees as yet, how do they know where to build? Last year the robin's nest I was watching was raided by blackbirds, perhaps starlings, but not before the robin layed her eggs and spent quite a lot of time keeping them safe and warm. Today's painting features a colorful robin on a colorful background, titled Robin Song ... and I even added a small painting of a nest with three robins eggs titled Future Robins. These paintings are at Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN. 

Early Spring Robin Nest

"Early Spring Robin Nest" 10"w x 10"h

"Worm Wrangler" Private Collection

Today's painting, titled Early Spring Robin Nest, features a robin's nest with four eggs on a matching blue background. This piece, like yesterday's, is based on memory. The robins built their nests this year amongst leafless trees due to the late spring we had here in Duluth. It probably wasn't the best situation for the birds as the nests aren't sheltered very well from predators, but it was a good situation for watching the nest building birds. The cold, damp spring had a plus for the robins, though, as they had all the worms they could gobble down crawling around on the pavement. Whenever I see a robin pulling a worm out of the ground I'm filled with amazement and disgust all at once. The thought of eating a worm isn't a problem for these birds, though, as they hop around on the lawn, somehow always knowing where the worms are crawling just below the grass. With this piece, I enjoyed playing with the composition, working the branches of the tree to reflect the swirling motion of the nest. The background is plain and simple, focusing the attention on the eggs in the center of the piece. The tree and the eggs have one thing in common, they are both on the verge of breaking forth into new life ... budding and breaking to signal the new season of spring greens and summer breezes. Please contact Sivertson Gallery in Grand Marais, MN for more information on this piece and many other works in all shapes and sizes.