Did you know that my friend Sarah hand prints all of my wooden bird mobiles? I carve the lino plates and she prints them using a roller and a little printing press. Each colour a new layer.
Initially I printed them myself but it took up all my time (and space) meaning I was able to do very littl else. Sarah has been printing for me for about 8 years now and she’s still not bored of it!
She has just finished a batch of Welcome Swallows which haven’t been in stock for quite a while, so it’s good to see them back. I’ll let you into a little secret about this design. I accidentally made one of the wings ever so slightly smaller than the other. I was annoyed with myself initially but then I realised it meant the bird hangs at an angle which looks like it is swooping and soaring and playing in the air like real swallows do. A whole flock would look lovely all together!
There are weird signs of spring everywhere yet it is only the start of winter. The jonquils have popped their yellow heads out already in my garden and the golden wattle is a month or so early round here. Musk lorikeets have arrived in flocks too, I don’t think I’ve seen them here at this time of year before. They are joining a host of bees in feeding on what appears to be the flowers of what I think are the tall ash trees lining our town’s oval (I really must get better at tree identification.) It has been a very mild start to winter in central Victoria, but it’s bringing the stubby little musk lorikeets so it’s not all doom and gloom!
I found an old SD card for my camera the other day, popped it into my computer to see what was on it and Oh Joy! tonnes of phtoos I took about 5 years ago of yellow robins! So I’ve been drawing away with my oil pastels (my new favourite medium) and I also decided to make a drypoint etching of this glorious bird!
So keep an eye out as I’ll soon be making the drawings and the etching available in the ol’ online shop. (I’ll probably announce it all next friday!)
Happy Bird Noticing!
